The Lightning Gaze
by BuBuWinter
Summary: Indefinitely discontinued. Will re-post the story after serious re-writing and re-plotting has been done.
1. Prologue

**_EDIT: Two words can describe how the rewrites are going. Plot. Changes. And major ones at that. New readers, you guys won't have any problems (hopefully). Old ones, prepare for much higher quality, more side plots, and more interesting characters. Below are a few things to keep in mind:  
><em>**

**_Time: Directly after the Malistaire plot line, so yes, this is original. The main char will also be 16-17 in this story, and the only reason I mention that is because it's quite a change from my original, so until ALL revisions are done, this will be confusing._**

**_Things To Know: My stories are in the same universe as Firestorm Nauralagos's unless otherwise stated, so Alex and all of her characters are by all means canon in this story as well. Alex herself may or may not have an appearance in the future - that I'm still debating - but for anyone confused just know there'll be quite a few mentions of her. (We currently have a colab together on her profile if you want to check it out)_**

**_All chapters that have been revised will be listed at the end of the prologue. Now, enough of my rambling, ENJOY!_**

**Prologue**

_The cold wind blew._

Lightning reflected in the young girl's bright green eyes.

_I could feel myself shiver._

The rain blew against her pale face.

_I couldn't breathe._

A wail sounded.

_I knew it was only a matter of time._

Two little girls crouched together, eyes wide as they stared at the chaos that unfolded.

_I wouldn't give in. _

The green gazed one wrapped her cloak tightly around them.

_I couldn't give in._

The flashing green eyes…the only color in the storm.

_Lives were at stake._

The eyes closed as she held the young ones.

_Time. Time. Time._

She wrapped the cloak around tighter.

_It was so cold._

Lightning struck the surface.

_So dark._

The little girls shrieked in terror, and the green gazed one instinctively pulled them closer.

_Time. Time. Time._

The green gazed one gripped the two girl's arms, pulling them with her.

_It was all a matter of time._

She ran, stumbling as she tried to keep her balance.

_I was weak._

The green eyes made it to a small hollow of a tree.

_Tired._

With the young girls in her arms, the eyes closed once more in a weary slumber.

_We were rescued. _

Two people with staffs picked them up and disappeared with the wind.

_Nothing was the same since. _

When the green-gazed one opened her eyes she felt suddenly warm, tucked comfortably under the covers of a bed.

_We were at a school, a wizard school._

They stared at the faces that surrounded them, an elder man speaking to them. _"Little ones, welcome to your new home…"_

* * *

><p>"Who are you?" I asked, speaking to no one in particular as I stared wide eyed around the room. Wasn't I just in a storm? Shouldn't I be dead? I felt my breathing grow unsteady. Everything was so unfamiliar. I glanced over at the two beds beside me, spotting the two girls I had helped during the storm. Were they dead too?<p>

_"_A-are we dead?" I managed to squeak out, pulling the covers over my mouth. That had to be it. I was dead, and so were those little girls. Panic stirred in my mind, but before I could do or say anything, the three other people in the room simply looked at each other and smirked.

"No no my dear, far from it!" The old man said, a friendly smile forming on his lips. He had a long white beard that looked a lot like a cloud, and crystal blue eyes. He wore funny looking purple robes with stars and moons on it and had a tall, once-pointy hat. He immediately had a friendly air about him. Next to him was a pretty woman with hair the color of autumn leaves and small, round glasses and garbed in all green. She seemed friendly too, but the tall man beside her broke that friendly line. He, in comparison to the lady, was in all black, had stark white skin, and his hair was thin, long, and black. I shrunk even further into my blankets. He looked _far _from friendly...

"My name is Merle Ambrose," the old man spoke again, his smile still in place. "And you're in the Ravenwood School of Magical Arts. I'm the Headmaster."

Ravenwood...the name sparked something in my mind, but before I could recall what it was, the lady was talking. "My name is Sylvia Drake." She sang, flashing me a toothy grin. "I'm the Life professor here. This here is my husband Malistaire. He's the Death professor." The man garbed in all black simply dipped his head in greeting. Sylvia, seeing my discomfort, leaned over to whisper in my ear. "He's not as bad as he looks; I wouldn't have married him if he were." Winking she stood back up and kissed her husband on the cheek. He looked slightly embarrassed, but a small smile formed nonetheless as he returned the kiss. I relaxed a little. If Sylvia liked him, I could too.

"Merle and I found you unconscious during the storm inside the hollow of a tree." Malistaire began to speak. His voice was like his features had suggested; cold and deep, but not unfriendly I decided. "What were you doing outside in that weather?"

I didn't respond for a long time, averting my gaze from the three adults as I tried to think. It wasn't that I didn't know, but would they still accept me if I told them?

"I ran away from home..." I finally managed to say, gripping my blankets and keeping my head down. It wasn't something I was proud of, and they wouldn't be proud either, that much was for certain.

"Well...we'll worry about the details later." Ambrose said after a moment, giving his head a quick shake. Sylvia gave a little shrug and went over to the two younger girls, running an expert eye over them. I assumed she was looking for any injuries.

"Are you all related?" She asked, running a hand through the paler girls snow white hair. I shook my head.

"I found them in the storm, and they needed help." I explained, sitting up and grimacing at the pain in my back. I reached my hand over my shoulder and ran my fingers along my shoulder blades, feeling two very thin lines. I twisted myself to run my hand over my lower back. I was surprised to find that they ran the entire length of my back.

"You took care of them during the duration of the storm?" Malistaire asked, both praise and surprise evident in his voice as he took a seat at the end of my bed, his wand laying comfortably on his lap. Sylvia trotted over to me and examined my back, pulling my cloak and dress low enough to examine the lines. She muttered something about bruises before running a cold hand down one of them. I shrugged her off and nodded to Malistaire, noticing him waiting for me to answer. I glanced at the still-sleeping girls. They were really young, younger than me, and I half-wondered how I could've possibly dragged them to the tree.

"How rude of us!" Ambrose suddenly chirped, causing me to flinch and look back at the elderly man. He had his fist in his hand as if he had just realized something. "What's your name, little one?"

"Heather Shadowsword." I told him somewhat awkwardly. The only who seemed to recognize the last name was Malistaire, a small smile curling the corners of his lips, but thankfully he didn't say anything. "I'm seven years old, Avalon born-and-bred."

Everyone let out a little chuckle at my formality, and I blushed a little, pulling my blankets back up over my face. Sylvia gave my leg a gentle pat. "No worries hun! We lack polite children these days." She winked at me for the second time that day. Suddenly her green eyes lit up with realization and excitement. She turned to regard her husband with a broad smile, who raised an eyebrow inquiringly.

"Sylvia if you're even considering of adopting another child-"

"Of course not silly!" Sylvia laughed, grabbing her husband by the ears and kissing his forehead. I stuck my tongue out in disgust. Kissing was so gross... "But Cyrus still needs a child to tend to..." She winked at him. Malistaire's eyes widened, and I cocked my head curiously. Cyrus?

"I don't know Sylvia, Cyrus isn't exactly..._fond _of kids." Malistaire rubbed his chin as he looked up at his wife. "I doubt he'd take her."

"Nonsense!" Both Sylvia and Ambrose exclaimed in unison. Sylvia gave a little chuckle and laid down beside me, leaf-colored eyes twinkling. "She's already proper and disciplined, and he _loves _that in kids. Means he won't have to do it himself." Her broad, toothy smile widened in excitement, and for a moment I feared her cheeks would start to rip open at how wide her smile was.

"And I do recall you two making a deal in my house when you two had come back from Azteca a long while ago." Ambrose added, his eyes holding the same light as Sylvia's. "You guys said that if one were to have a child, then the other must do the same. It was back when you both had a little a little crush going on." He chuckled silently as Malistaire's pale face suddenly turned a bright flush of red, though whether it was because he was embarrassed or angry, I couldn't be sure. Sylvia clapped her hands excitedly.

"That's perfect! We can finally have a full-on family!" She chirped as she suddenly grabbed my arms and dragged me out of bed. As Sylvia started to drag me over to the door I glanced back at the two other girls.

"What about them?" I asked, pointing at the white and black haired duo. Ambrose waved a hand dismissively.

"Don't worry yourself; I know a few wizards with older siblings and such who'd love some extra company. Maybe when you're all well enough you can stay the night at each others' houses, hmm?" I smiled and nodded, allowing Sylvia to drag me through the door. Malistaire followed though didn't bother to catch up until Sylvia had slowed down a bit.

"Who is Cyrus?" I asked, tearing my ruined cloak off and flinging it over one arm in what my parents had called a "dignified" manner. Malistaire gave an approving nod before responding.

"He's my twin brother and the Myth professor here. He's not especially fond of children, but seeing as you're well-mannered, I don't think you'll have any problems." I nodded though silently I thought Cyrus wouldn't be much of a father. Then again, Malistaire didn't seem to be a nice individual at first.

"Swell guy once you get on his good side." Sylvia agreed, resting a hand on my shoulder and smiling down at me. "They've always had this rivalry though. Who could do better, who was stronger, who could get a lady first..." she looked at Malistaire and winked at that one. The Necromancer opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted when I let out a short gasp, and the shock wasn't from her statement.

We were outside now, and the entire area was nothing but grass, flowers, and trees. On the far side of the area was a small, crystal clear pond where wizards of all kinds gathered. Unconsciously I reached over and grabbed Malistaire's hand, eyes wide as I spotted the mass of people. A strong surge of energy made me flinch as soon as I touched him. It didn't hurt, but it was odd, like putting a finger between two magnets that were pushing each other away.

Malistaire also felt it. He was staring at me curiously and looked to have a new appreciation for me, although, I had no clue as to why. He glanced over at Sylvia, and noticing the glint in his eyes a look of complete surprise entered her eyes, but she shook the feeling away and led on. I continued to hold Malistaire's hand - the odd feeling had gone now - until we had reached what Sylvia had said to be the Shopping District.

"He likes to stay close to the businesses so he doesn't have to walk all the way here." She said with a smirk before dancing happily down the street. Malistaire stared after her with a loving glint in his eyes before following. I quickly bolted to his side. When we managed to catch up with the ecstatic Life professor, she was knocking loudly on a door. The house was located at the end of the street, and as Sylvia had said, it was quite close to all the major stores.

The man who opened the door was indeed Malistaire's twin. He was tall and lanky, and while a lighter blue in color, his eyes held the same cold sternness as his brother's. The only things that were different were his yellow and blue robes and his complete lack of hair.

"I don't believe I sent an invitation." Cyrus commented, his voice almost smug as he crossed his arms. He raised an eyebrow inquiringly when he spotted me, and I instinctively shrunk back. Sylvia nudged me forward, not roughly, but enough to make me stand beside her in front of him. She rested an encouraging hand on my shoulder.

"This is Heather Shadowsword." She introduced me, and being called upon by my parent's teachings, I curtsied in greeting. "She's one of the girls Malistaire and Ambrose found in the storm on Avalon." Cyrus looked at me curiously, then with a jerk of the head he invited us into his home. I followed Sylvia in and hesitantly took a seat beside her on the couch, inspecting my surroundings. The walls were made of silver-grey stone with myth-insignia wallpaper rimming the top. A few dark blue rugs complimented the light red couch. The only other things to decorate the room were a few chairs, and light wood coffee table, and in front of the window was a small dining table, a single chair resting at its side.

"So what all happened during the storm?" Cyrus asked, sitting down at the dining table. Malistaire looked over at me, and as if making a split-second decision, he glanced at his wife.

"How about you go get Heather some new clothes while I tell Cyrus about the rescue?" Sylvia must've known what he meant because she was quickly back out of her seat. I was tempted to stay seated for a short while, but knowing my manners, I quickly sat up and followed Sylvia back out the door. Besides, I _did_ need new clothes; my velvet red dress was torn in several places, the loose pieces of fabric rubbing against my legs.

"What are your favorite colors Heather?" Sylvia asked as we walked out into the street. I tapped my chin with a finger, thinking.

"Black and light blue at the moment." I decided. While green was a close second, there wasn't a lot of blue at my old home, and it _was_ a pretty color. Sylvia smiled and nodded, indicating to a small shop to the side of us.

"That's the dye shop right there. Darla does a good job at re-dyeing clothes for a low enough price, depending on the outfit. Magically inclined stuff that help in battle are often more difficult to dye, or so she says." She explained. "It'll be another four years before you'll be joining the school, so that's no concern right now." I nodded absently, absorbed in my thoughts of the school, and together we made our down the street, this time turning to enter through a different tunnel.

"And this is Olde Town, where all the oldies live." Giggling silently to herself at her own joke, Sylvia waved a hand over, indicating me to follow her. She was making her way toward a fairly large building with a sign that said "BAZAAR" in front of it. Inside there was a bunch of bustling students trying to find good gear, many of which were surrounding a big - if not a bit chubby - man who had an assortment of weapons slung across him. As we made our way over to him, a few wizards said a friendly hello to Sylvia. I guessed they were her students, but they were all in different colors, so I couldn't be sure. _I wish wizards would remain true to their school and dye to the school colors. It'd be a lot easier to judge then._

"Hello Elik!" Sylvia called cheerily. The man looked up, and a warm smile formed on his face.

"Sylvia!" He greeted, gently pushing past the scavenging wizards. "How can I help you today? Here for another pretty pink bow for old Malistaire?"

Sylvia giggled and shook her head. "Not this time, Elik. Heather here needs some new clothes. You've heard of the storm in Avalon by now right? She's one of the survivors." Elik glanced around her and smiled down at me.

"She's a small one, but there might be something out back for her. The Ferrow kid is here too; maybe I can suit the two of you up with something special." He waggled a finger at us and we followed him through the back door. Inside there were piles of clothes of all types, weapons hanging on the walls and a tan-skinned little redhead.

"'Bout time Elik!" She commented smugly, tapping her foot and wagging a finger at him. "I need new clothes!"

"Alright alright!" Elik chuckled. He was obviously used to the young girls antics by now. Sylvia knelt beside me, her breath tickling my ear.

"Fallon Rosebud Ferrow is a bit on the...wild side...she has a reputation for getting under people's noses and causing trouble." She whispered to me. I glanced at the red head. Her eyes were a bright aqua blue and her hair was a long, natural-looking red. It curled at the ends. She definitely had an air of defiance about her as she glared at Elik's back. When she glanced around she spotted me, and her eyes widened in surprise.

"Hi!" She chirped as she bolted over to me. "Who are you newcomer? I've never seen you before; I would've remembered those eyes."

"I'm Heather Shadowsword." I introduced myself, doing an inch-perfect curtsey. Unlike the adults who'd respected my politeness, Fallon simply scowled.

"I hope you're not one of those snobby rich kids who don't know how to have fun." She sniffed contemptibly. As I tired to come up with a response, Fallon shrugged her shoulders and continued on. "Eh, we can change that. First step: change of name."

I glanced up at Sylvia, who shrugged. I guessed that this was how Fallon normally was. I turned back to her. "Why do I need to change my name?"

"Cause Heather sounds so stuck up and formal." She sniffed. "My full name is Fallon Rosebud Ferrow, but Rosie sounds better, dontcha think?" I nodded. While I liked the name Fallon, I didn't want to argue. It would've led to a full-blown fight. Fallon - or Rosie - tapped her finger to her chin, making a low 'hmmm' sound as she thought.

"I know!" Her head snapped up, a pleased smile on her face. "You can be called Heat!"

"Heat?"

"Short for Heather. Ya know, 'Heat-her'."

I opened my mouth to respond, but before I had the chance Elik was back, two different outfits slung across his arm. One consisted of a red and light blue hoodie shirt and light blue tights, the other a small black dress with neon blue buttons going along the front. Small pockets rested close to the top with the same style, only the colors were reversed.

"I'm not permitted to give you wizards clothing, not until you join the school, but these should suit you for now." Elik smiled, handing me the dress and Rosie the shirt. I ran my had down the length of it, feeling the soft fabric. I immediately fell in love with it. Sylvia was clapping her hands excitedly.

"You'll look adorable in that!" She chirped. Sylvia reached into her pocket and pulled out a few pieces of gold, holding it out to the merchant, but he shook his head.

"No no Sylvia, its on the house. My treat!" Elik bellowed, pushing his glasses up as it slid down his chubby nose. Sylvia smiled, delighted, before ushering me out of the room. Rosie, sparing a glance at Elik, quickly followed. I guessed she didn't want to pay for her new found outfit. She was still following us by the time we entered the Shopping District.

"Where do you live Heat?" She asked a she jogged up to my side. It took me a moment to realize she was talking to me; the whole 'Heat' thing was going to get some getting used to. I glanced up at Sylvia, unsure how to answer. Seeing my dilemma, she glanced down at the red-head.

"Right now I'm in the process of trying to get Mr. Cyrus Drake to adopt her." She explained. "But before that she lived in Avalon." Rosie's blue eyes opened wide in surprise and she turned back to me, prodding me for an answer.

"You one of the storm survivors?" She asked. I nodded, and I was surprised as an envious light entered her eyes.

"Lucky," she whined, beginning to stomp her feet as we continued on. "Going on adventures like _that _and you're not even a wizard yet!"

I didn't have time to reply as Sylvia opened the door to Cyrus's. When we walked in the twin brothers were both sitting at the dining table talking in hushed voices. As I strained my ears to listen, Sylvia ushered us upstairs. Rosie shot her a nasty glance, but the Life professor paid no attention, so the red-head continued on silently. As I picked my way up the first couple of steps I heard Malistaire's muttering. I managed to pick up the words "...she'll be a powerful Necromancer...".

When we were up in the room though I completely forgot that statement. Instead I tore off my old dress and slung the cloak on a nearby bed. The dress fit me perfectly, and while I wasn't used to showing my legs, especially in public, it was comfortable. I glanced over at Rosie as she examined herself in the mirror. The shirt was a little too big, the sleeves falling off her shoulders, but even so it still looked good on her, the neon blue bringing out the color of her eyes. She gave a nod of approval and slumped onto the bed. She glanced over at me and sniffed.

"Heat do something about your hair, it looks all...nasty."

Sylvia had already grabbed a brush and started running it through my hair. While the creamy-gold locks were thin, there was a lot if it, and Sylvia's mutterings reminded me a lot of when my parents would try to fix my hair.

"There," she murmured, running an expert hand through my hair to triple-check for any remaining knots. I glanced at myself in the mirror. Again I wasn't used to having my hair down, always having it up in a bun, but now that it hung loosely I was surprised to find it was long enough to scrape the top of my bottom. Rosie was sniggering beside me.

"Didn't your parents ever give you a haircut?" She asked, playing with a handful of my hair. I shook my head. There was never any reason for them to cut my hair as long as it wold hold in a bun. Rosie's mouth dropped open, but before she could come up with a proper response, an outraged voice from below caught everyone's attention. Sylvia sighed and stood up, smoothing her skirt out.

"Looks like Malistaire finally told Cyrus the good news." She said. Taking a deep, shaky breath I followed her, my hands folded behind my back. I heard Rosie's footsteps falling in beside me.

"Maybe it is good you're all goody-two-shoes then." She muttered in my ear. "Cyrus's known for hating 'immature brats'."

"Such as yourself?" I dared to ask, making sure my voice held some sort of sarcasm. She smiled wickedly and nodded, a little giggle escaping her thin lips.

When we reached the main room I was surprised to see no one looked outraged. Malistaire and Cyrus were simply out of their chairs, arms crossed and glaring at each other with cold eyes.

"They must've brought the argument down to _chuchoters." _Sylvia muttered quietly more to herself than to me. She quickly skipped up to Malistaire and wrapped her arms around him. "Now now boys, lets all just calm down."

Her tone of voice suggested this wasn't the first time the twins had gone off like this. I glanced over at Rosie, who nodded, confirming my suspicions. Frowning I sat up straighter, cringing at the pain in my back, and folded my arms more tightly behind me. I wasn't sure if I'd have a home if Cyrus didn't take me; I had to be on my best behavior. I could almost hear my father's voice telling me that.

Sylvia's soothing words seemed to be enough to calm the brothers down. They slowly moved themselves to the living area, Cyrus settling down in a chair and Malistaire in the couch in front of him. Sylvia sighed in relief and motioned for me and Rosie to sit beside her on the couch. I settled myself in between her and my new friend, folding my hands on my lap.

"Malistaire," Cyrus began. "I know you mean well, but I'm not so sure I can take care of this..._child. _Besides, I'm busy enough as it is. I simply wouldn't have time for her."

"Nonsense!" Malistaire retorted, his voice calm but cold. "Sylvia and I adopted a child, and we've plenty time for her."

"Besides," Sylvia added, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Didn't the pair of you, oh, I don't know, make a deal about raising children together?" Both of the brothers visibly winced, turning different shades of red. I guessed that whatever made them make the deal was enough to embarrass them for the rest of their lives. Apparently, the memory of that deal was enough for Cyrus at least for the time being. He turned to me, hands clasped together in over his mouth.

"What's your name, child?"

"Heather Shadowsword." I answered promptly. I barely caught Malistaire's knowing grunt as he recognized the last name. Cyrus also seemed to recognize the name, a flare of interest sparking in his eyes, but it faded within a second.

"Alright then Heather-" Cyrus's next question was interrupted by an annoyed snort from Rosie. The tan-skinned redhead was tapping her foot on the ground in annoyance, a pout on her face. Cyrus raised an eyebrow at her.

"Something you need?" He asked. Rosie's smug voice was almost a match for his own.

"Yeah, actually, there is. Call her Heat. She likes it better." She pouted, blue eyes sparkling dangerously, the threat of a destroyed house hidden in their depths. All eyes turned to me, and unsure how to respond, I meekly nodded my head.

"Well then, uh, _Heat,_" Cyrus wrinkled his nose in distaste of the name, but apparently Rosie's threats were meant to be taken seriously. I cast a quick glance at my friend; she had a sly smile on her face. "Have you had any prior education, and if so, where?"

"I wasn't permitted to go to a public school," I answered. "But my parents, being authors, weren't ones to hark back on education. They taught me everything they knew about history and had me study profusely on expanding my vocabulary and learning other dialects. I'm currently fluent in four different languages, two of them being Ancient Celestian and Aztecan languages."

Sylvia and Malistaire looked impressed enough, and Rosie had her mouth hanging open in shock, although it was hard to tell if she had any idea what I said or not. I loathed having to talk and prove about my higher education; it felt foreign on my tongue. I frowned as I remembered studying almost nonstop all day when most normal kids would be playing. Being the daughter of two well-known, rich authors wasn't normal. To my dismay, Cyrus hardly looked impressed.

"What do you know about the Magical Schools of Wizardry?" was his next question. I harked back on my studies.

"I know most of their histories, the main points at least, and I know their proper names." I told him, struggling to remember the Giants and the Titans. The magics were never pressured on me by my parents, so I hardly paid attention when I did study. Thankfully I remembered the major points of each school as well as the proper names. Seeing Cyrus wasn't fully convinced, I continued. "The elemental schools are Pyromancy, Thaugmaturgey, and Divination, or Fire, Ice, and Storm. The spiritual schools are Necromancy, Theurgy, and Conjuration, also known as Death, Life, and Myth."

"Not bad." Cyrus conceded as he leaned back in the chair. "I just have one more question."

I began to dig into my mind for whatever studies might be of some use, but there was no need. "What were you doing in the storm?"

Just like when Malistaire had asked, I found myself waiting a long while, trying to find a good response. There was no doubt in my mind he wouldn't accept me if I told him I ran away from home simply because I was upset with my parents, but against my will to lie, I told him anyways.

"I ran away. I wasn't happy with my parents always arguing and making choices for me." I looked down at my lap, breaking eye contact for the first time. "Just because I'm educated doesn't mean I like it."

I knew that sounded odd, especially when almost everyone in the room was a professor, but before anything else could be said, there was a loud knock, followed by someone yelling "newsletter". Malistaire, who was closest to door, grunted and got up, but there was no need. There was another knock, and the door opened to reveal Ambrose, a warm, grandfatherly smile on his face.

"I just wanted to see how everyone was getting along." He chirped. The Headmaster handed Malistaire the newsletter, who grunted his thanks and sat back down, before pulling out something that was far more interesting to me; a long, curved sword. "This was slung across your back when we found you Heather."

"Heat..." Rosie muttered, speaking for the first time since Cyrus had begun interrogating me. I ignored her and stood up, taking the sword from him. The simple dark red hilt was familiar enough, but I wanted to be sure. I unsheathed it, and gave a sigh of relief as I noticed the black Ancient Celestian markings at the bottom of the fine silver blade. Everyone's eyes widened in surprise.

"How'd you get _that?" _Rosie gasped, running over to me, eyes wide as she stared at the blade.

"My parents kept it for decoration." I explained, sheathing it once again. "They never paid attention to it, but it was always my favorite back in the mansion. I guess you could say I wanted a little...payback..." Rosie smirked, a wide grin spanning from cheek to cheek.

"Maybe you aren't so goody-two-shoes after all."

"What did the engraving say?" Sylvia asked, cocking her head curiously at the weapon. I paused. I never really paid attention to the engraving before. I pulled the blade out just enough to read it.

"It says 'The Last Reaping'." I murmured. Malistaire grunted and shook his head.

"The Last Reaping is one of the most important battles in Necromancy history." He sniffed. "That sword must have been wielded by the leader of the army, Captain Deadlock. A shame such a powerful weapon was used merely used for decoration." I found myself nodding in agreement. While I wasn't fully aware of the battle, Captain Deadlock was always an inspiration to many wizards and almost changed the stereotypical judgement about Necromancers. Almost.

Cyrus and Sylvia came over and they each took a turn looking at the blade, running their fingers along the smooth silver. Ambrose looked at me with a friendly glint in his eyes, resting a hand on my shoulder. "I think you just managed to save a priceless and powerful weapon from wasting away." He smirked. An annoyed snort from Malistaire caught everyone's attention.

"What is it hun?" Sylvia asked, coming over to look over her husbands shoulder.

"Their calling the storm at Avalon the Lightning Gaze legend." He muttered, showing the newsletter to Sylvia. "Too many people argued that such a storm couldn't have possibly existed, especially in Avalon." He was shaking his head in shame, obviously losing hope for the Spiral's inhabitants.

"There used to be storms all the time on Avalon." Ambrose agreed, frowning for the first time since I met him. "I wonder why they're calling it the Lightning Gaze?"

Sylvia gave a little chuckle as she looked at me. "I think I know why."

All eyes turned to me, and noticing how confused I looked Sylvia pulled out a small mirror and gave it to me. I let out a shocked gasp as I saw how bright my eyes were. They were always a really pretty, very bright green, but now they were almost luminescent, shining in a way I didn't know was even possible.

"Maybe it's from all the close encounters with lightning...?" I thought, accidentally murmuring the words aloud. Everyone chuckled, even Cyrus, at the preposterous idea. This time with no blanket to hid myself, I felt hot as my cheeks turned a bright cherry red. Rosie smirked and gave me a pat on the back, then motioned for me to follow her outside. I glanced at Sylvia. She nodded and together the three of us made our way out. As I turned to close the door, I saw Malistaire address his brother.

"Well? What do you think?" He asked. Cyrus turned around to glance at me from where I was peeking through the door.

"I think I can work with her."

That's when I knew I had to be home before nightfall.

_**Also, just as a little note, the writing does get better as the story progresses. The first revisions are a bit sloppy (though still better than the original chapters) but now that I know what I'm doing things will be a lot more detailed and rather interesting. And I suck at humor, so anything "funny" is probably really stupid. Sorry Dx**_

**_Ohyeah, and Heat is quite the little Mary-Sue in this story. Go ahead and give me crap for it, I'll flat-out agree with you, but rest assured I WILL change this in the future. I have something in mind to hopefully fix her Suedom. Right now though it's a bit too late for me to change the character, otherwise I'd have to completely rework the story, and I don't got time for that. _**

_**Currently revised chapters:**_

**Prologue**

**Chapter 1: Clean-Up**

**Chapter 2: Nightmares, The Quest Begins**

**Chapter 3: Storm Telling**

**Chapter 4: Temperamental**

**Chapter 5: Storming Again**

**Chapter 6: Dark Clouds**

**Chapter 7: Letters to Cyrus: Letter One**

**Chapter 8: Forgiving**

**Chapter 9: Ominous Greetings**

**Chapter 10: Growing Older**

**Chapter 11: Maniacal Laughter**

**Chapter 12: Finding the Recipe**

**chapter 13: Reporting...to the Ravenwood Ball?**

**Chapter 14: Lessons in Memories**

**Chapter 15: Future Plans**

**Chapter 16: Surprises at the Party**


	2. Clean-Up

_**EDIT: Le chapter 1 revision, now a complete 4000 words (yay me XD) :D Old readers, prepare for a whole different beginning to the story cause the way I just went all out in the prologue means I gotta do A LOT of changing and reflecting in this chapter. New readers, this will probably be better than my old chapter 1, so you're lucky in a way XD As I said **__**A LOT WILL BE CONFUSING UNTIL ALL CHAPTERS HAVE BEEN REVISED**__** (and a 9 year jump don't help any I reckon. Don't worry-what I don't squeeze into reflections I'll do my best to bring out either later or in another story) Anyways, do enjoy the new-and-improved chapter (minus the crappy chapter title xP) :D**_

**Chapter 1: Clean-Up  
><span>**

9 YEARS LATER

"_C'mon Rosie, don't get beat by this girl!"_

_"Do you think I'm trying to lose?"_

_"Yes! You're so sloppy with strategy these days!"_

Snickering I leaned back against the seat in the Arena viewing area as Rosie continuously complained to me in _chuchoters_. While she was excellent in combat - almost a match for her sister Michelle - she was distracted by her longing for the PvP Commander Robe, making her near-blind. Instead of shielding like she normally did, she was lashing out with non-stop Storm attacks. To the simple everyday duelist in practice matches, they would've blown the opponent away in a matter of a few rounds, but the ranked system was a whole different story. Everyone wanted to become a respected Commander or even a Warlord, so everyone was on their toes. As it just so happened to be, the duelist Rosie was fighting was Alura Nightspear, a Pyromancer who was known to be a quick-witted and powerful opponent, properly shielding and boosting before doing what was often a one-hit K.O. This bout was no different.

Just as Rosie told me she was finally going to shield, it was too late. I watched as Alura placed a silent Colossal onto one of her spells and cast a powerful Helephant. The three blades that danced around her snapped away as a glowing orb suddenly formed around her, and the large brute's stone-cold eyes lit up with even more energy, feeling triple the strength the normal spell would've done. Not only did the attack critical, but all of Alura's planning made for a clean one-hit K.O. The red-colored elephant bellowed before slashing his flaming sword down on Rosie, the immense power shattering her magical barrier. Rosie's breath was knocked out of her at the tremendous force, forcing her to lean heavily on her staff as the magical duel came to an abrupt end. Alura calmly placed her deck into a small, specially made pocket on her belt before approaching her defeated enemy, resting a firm hand on her shoulder.

"Good game." Her raspy voice echoed in the large Dragonspyre-influenced arena.

"Yeah," Rosie muttered, straightening up to meet the victor eye to eye. "Good game." and with that Alura nodded and made her way over the Arena Watch, receiving a handful of tickets and a new badge. Two stars shimmered beside a red and yellow winged-sword, telling me the powerful combatant had effectively reached the rank of Commander, and judging by how many tickets she earned, she had enough to purchase the robe from Diego. Smirking at Rosie's scowl of annoyance, I stood to meet her by the Arena Watch. He handed her only a measly two-ticket chain and informed her she had gone back down to the rank of Captain. Tipping his hat in farewell, he quickly took his leave before the sure-to-be-angry redhead could respond. My friend stood there, gaping, as the two tickets in her hand slowly began to crinkle in her hand.

"_Captain? _I was dropped back down to _Captain?_" She spluttered, staring wide-eyed at nothing in particular. I bit my lip to stop myself from chuckling.

"I told you this match was going to be important. Alura's one of the best Pyromancer's out there, not to mention she's a bloody good combatant." I told her, a smirk threatening to pull at my lips. Rosie glared at me but said nothing, shoving the tickets into a pocket and removing her badge.

"I'm done for the day. That was to crushing." She muttered, glaring at her staff as if it was the source of her loss. "I thought Goldshard said this thing was good!"

"It is!" I couldn't hold back a chuckle this time. "The Celestian Trident isn't the best out there, but it's better than the crappy staffs Elik sells. It _was _purchased at the Crown Shop after all."

"Yeah well," Rosie sniffed contemptibly. "I'll stick to busting heads open and hope they have a good enough weapon." I rolled my eyes in reply as I fell in step beside her. Rosie certainly hasn't changed over the years. Somehow she had managed to keep the name of "Hot-head Rosebud" in the nine years I've known her. She's definitely matured, that much was true, but she was still so impatient and quick to anger that refusing to comply with her would lead to some sort of "promise". And she never broke "promises".

Rosie's style of clothing hadn't even changed through the years. She still preferred her old red and blue dyes and wore whatever was in style, whereas I had effectively switched my colors several times and wore whatever suit best. It was mainly her stylish needs that urged her so strongly to get the Commanders Robe. I was perfectly content with my Guardians Outfit.

"I can't believe I'm back down to Captain, now I have to get my rank up _and _score enough tickets." Rosie was still muttering about her loss by the time we reached our hangout spot in the Commons. Sighing in unison we both leaned against the lamppost, staring at the pond and the few wizards that littered the area. There weren't as many around the Commons these days, everyone off to help with the clean up. Malistaire had left a big impact not just on Wizard City, but on a lot of other worlds.

I cringed at the memory of my would-be uncle. While it was no excuse to go off and cause so much damage, I couldn't help but feel pity for the man. Sylvia had meant the world to him, and when she had passed on he simply didn't know how to handle the grief. All he wanted was to bring her back, and I couldn't blame him. The lady was like a mother to me, always laughing and making the day brighter no matter what. I couldn't simply hate Malistaire like a lot of wizards did, there were too many reasons _not _to; he wasn't just my family, or my professor. He was one of my saviors.

Unconsciously I ran a finger down the hilt of my sword. The Deadlock Cutlass - respectfully given its name by Ambrose - was a powerful weapon, possibly one of the best of Necromancy make if not out of all the magics. Once I was powerful enough to wield it Malistaire had made me swear to use it honorably and to never lose or break it. I have yet to break that promise.

"Wish I had a weapon like that..." Rosie muttered, glancing at my sword. Frowning she rolled her shoulders and looked to the sky, thinking. "It's been nine years since you came here, right?" I nodded. "How in the name of the Titans did you put up with Cyrus all these years?"

"Well he _is _a father to me." I commented without looking at her. While it took a good long year until he actually considered me a daughter, and another three for him to actually be proud of it, we had a good, strong relationship. I always thought it was because of my nightmares I used to have, or my formality, but the man was hard to comprehend. For one reason or another, he cared for me like I really was his daughter. "He's not that bad a guy."

"Easy for you to say." Rosie sniffed and casting an incredulous glance at me. "Sylvia always said he was decent when you got on his good side, but seeing as you managed to find his adoring, loving side, he must treat you _dang_ good. He's not an easy guy to get along with Heat, especially since Sylvia's death."

I grimaced. That much was true. Sylvia's passing hit everyone hard, but none more so than the Drake brothers. All three had been good friends for a long time, and it was only when Sylvia was struck with illness that the trio really began to separate. While Cyrus was no where near as close to her as Malistaire was, the death _had_ damaged him emotionally; it didn't take an expert to see that. Not only did he become even crueler to the students, but he simply didn't care for them anymore, not even for their education. Secretly I thought that I weren't under his care, he would've followed his brother on the quest for power. Then again, Malistaire's own daughter wasn't enough for him to hold back

"Maybe it's good he cares so much about me." I murmured aloud, trying to think of what the probability would be. Rosie raised an eyebrow at me, bewildered. I returned her gaze levelly. "If he didn't have something else to distract him, it's likely he would've joined his brother. Not even my cousin and her group of friends would be a match for their combined power."

Rosie muttered something that could've been doubt or a conceding agreement before looking at me again. "Why do you think he cares so much?"

"I honestly couldn't tell ya." I confessed. "It might just be in his character that he cares for family, or what could pass as family. I remember Sylvia and Ambrose always teasing him and Malistaire about a deal they made. Something about raising kids."

Rosie sniggered and tapped her trident on the ground a few times. "Heat are you suggesting the Drakes were family guys?"

Laughing I gave a tiny shrug of my shoulders. "Hey it's possible." Silence fell over us as our laughing died down. Unable to think of something to talk about, I focused on the other conversations that took place between the few other wizards dotting the area. Two boys were leaning against their swords in the shade of the tree, both looking to be the rank of Grandmaster.

"So, what all is happening in Krokotopia?"

"Not much; clean up is slow but it's progressing. The Kroks are weak now and the manders are finally getting some courage of their own. "

I grunted; typical of high-rankers to talk about current jobs, though at the moment I couldn't blame them. Rosie and I had only just finished doing our part in what could be done Dragonspyre, and it _had_ been a hot topic at the time. I averted my attention to a group of girls who had their feet in the water, all of them ranging from Initiates to Adepts.

"Hey Amy, I dare you to ask one of those guys out."

"No way!"

"What, scared they'll chop your head off?"

I shook my head and smirked. Girls these days; never a care in the world. The guys had obviously heard them too, sparing each other a glance before swiftly walking over to Ravenwood. I assumed they were returning to Krokotopia to help with clean up. Rosie grunted in barely suppressed amusement at the girls' dismayed groans and sighs. There was only one other group; two Apprentices sitting in the grass in front of us were counting up their gold, a boy and a girl in yet-to-be-properly-dyed clothes.

"What pet are we gonna get?"

"I don't know...a fire cat maybe?"

"Nah...what about a dragon?"

"Hey Heat." I glanced at Rosie as she started talking again. "Where's Lord Shadow?"

"He's helping Kiley and Cori with the clean up." I told her. "I wanted him to keep an eye on them so I can get a report on their progress, and I wanted to be sure Cori didn't try anything stupid. A damaged arm isn't going to stop her from becoming the next trouble maker." I smiled as I thought of the duo. Both of them made for quick recovery since the storm and had just reached the Journeyman rank. Neither remained unscathed though. Cori had permanent damage to her left arm, bending the elbow forward and making it almost completely useless, after supposedly hitting it on a rock, and Kiley had suffered minor heart and spinal problems. The shock of the lightning was _supposed_ to paralyze her, but she was saved in a way, only suffering a minor limp and having to take special Theurgy-Divination medicine to keep her heart in check. I was injured as well though not nearly as bad as the younger girls; I only had back pains from time to time.

"Trust you to put a pet in charge." Rosie sniggered. Sighing she waved a hand in the air dismissively. "Wish my pets were as good. Unintelligent brats..."

"Lord Shadow's a bit stubborn for my liking, but you're right, he is very smart, especially for a pet." Lord Shadow was a dragon of a different kind. Supposedly a mix between a Tricky and regular Dragon, cold flecks would shimmer in his black and purple scales whenever the sun struck him, and his ice blue gaze was always watchful and inquiring. He was probably the most defiant of my pets, which often sparked heated arguments, but we were close nonetheless. His only magical benefit was that he could cast Dragon blade both in physical and Magic Blade form, making him weak compared to other specially trained pets - who often casted Sprite and provided boosts - but it was enough for me.

As if called upon, the two girls and my pet suddenly appeared from the Shopping District tunnel, smiling and laughing about one thing or another. Both were slightly messy, but they weren't injured. Rosie waved a hand over and they bolted over, Kiley staggering a little by her limp. Lord Shadow followed more slowly, muttering something under his breath as he trotted behind them.

"Hey girls!" I greeted warmly, examining them from head to toe. Cori's long black hair was pulled back in a loose bun, her minty green eyes sparkling as she skidded to a halt in front of Rosie, whereas Kiley kept hers down, her normally snow white hair stained an ashy black from being hard at work. Her bangs swept over tired blue eyes as she leaned heavily on her staff.

"How's the clean up going?"

"Pretty good if I do say so myself!" Cori huffed expertly. Even in the presence of her teachers, Professor's Greyrose and Balestrom, she had this haughty attitude. I always assumed it was because everyone doubted she suffice as a good wizard, and it was her way of proving them wrong. She glanced at her partner, who was much more mellow. Kiley nodded in agreement.

"We helped Mr. Raveneye with the mill before helping Duncan clear out a good number of fodders and minions." She smiled. While Kiley was easy to impress and hard to be mad at, she was completely honest and often matched me in formality. Still, to make sure their words were sincere, I turned to regard my pet. Lord Shadow, now perched on my shoulder, grunted, but seeing as he wasn't giving them a lashing I allowed myself to believe them.

"Ole' Duncan let you help out? He ain't exactly the kind who likes lower ranks." Rosie commented as she casually examined her trident. Kiley and Cori giggled; everyone knew of the uncooperative behavior of Duncan Grimwater, possibly the most stereotypical Necromancer out there.

"How about your studies?" I asked them. While the Ice and Life schools weren't especially difficult, they - especially Cori - managed to find ways to get out of their studies. Cori often liked to linger in the powers of Storm instead of studying for her main school, while Kiley was just simply dragged around by her best friend. Even now the two girls were glancing at each other, trying to think of what to say while making a simultaneous "uhhhhhh".

"Guys," I frowned. "I know helping out is important, especially since Malistaire's incident, but you shouldn't be falling back on your studies. You're old enough to know that."

"We're only fourteen!" Cori countered hotly, glaring at me defiantly. I leaned down slightly to meet her gaze.

"You're old enough. Now go visit your teachers for some work, and I expect it to be done." I lowered my voice to a cool, collected warning tone. Cori's eyes glistened angrily for a moment, but unable to hold my gaze she lowered her head and departed, muttering darkly under her breath. Kiley muttered a quick apology and hurried after her friend, her limp hardly noticeable as she scurried into Ravenwood. Rosie smirked slightly.

"I taught you well, my young pupil." She said smartly, a wicked glint in her eyes and she bowed in mock respect. Smiling I turned to Lord Shadow.

"I suppose you want me to watch over the kiddies..._again._" He grunted, his deep voice odd for such a small species of dragon. I nodded apologetically.

"Next time I'll get Ginger to watch over them."

"Ginger can hardly watch himself." The grumpy dragon muttered before flying off my shoulder and quickly making his way toward Ravenwood. I frowned and crossed my arms.

"I'm gonna have to talk to Ambrose about getting them some proper guardians. I can't keep one eye on them and another on the struggle." I told Rosie, watching as Lord Shadow departed into the main school area.

"Didn't he find some?"

"Only older wizards." I explained, leaning back against the post. "And considering the current events, even the veterans are helping out. I want them to have legit parents who can make sure they study."

Rosie opened her mouth as if to ask another question, but shaking her head she closed it again. "Was gonna ask why they just can't study themselves, then I realized how stupid that sounded. We _are_ complaining about them _not _studying after all."

I smirked and nodded my head in agreement. "I thought that by the time they were teenagers they would be mature enough to know the responsibilities of being wizard, but obviously I was wrong."

Chuckling Rosie shook her head. "They aren't you Heat. You were practically raised to study and be smart. Those girls were hardly raised." She had a point, but I didn't think it was a well enough answer. Studying was important, especially with something as complex as wizardry.

"I just want them to be safe is all. You know the life of a wizard is hard and can be...damaging." Rosie grimaced and didn't respond. While I didn't know exactly what happened to her, something terrible happened while I was away from her and she never told me what it was. All I knew is that it had affected her greatly. I stayed silent and allowed he a moment to dwell, pulling out my sword and whetstone to begin sharpening the blade; it was something to do but was completely unnecessary.

After a long period of silence Rosie seemed to have recovered and began talking again. "You still have nightmares?"

Shocked my whetstone stopped there at the end of the blade. Slowly I slid down on the ground and laid the items on my lap, turning to steadily meet her gaze. "Why ask now?"

My friend shrugged; the only sign she wasn't going to give a snappy or complete answer. I frowned and thought about it. Ever since the storm I've been riddled with odd nightmares, but they stopped shortly after Malistaire had started wreaking havoc, although I didn't exactly have a good night's rest during that time. Most, if not all of them consisted of three things: the Lightning Gaze storm, screaming, and a shadow with an ominous voice calling out to me, like a ghost on the wind. Sighing I gave my head a quick shake.

"I honestly don't know. They went away when Malistaire started his power-hungry journey, but it's almost a guarantee that's only because I've only managed maybe two hours of sleep then. Even when I'm worrying about something I get more sleep than that. I'm just gonna have to wait till tonight I suppose." Rosie shrugged again, and this time I knew something was troubling her. "What's wrong Rose?"

Just as she opened her mouth to respond, the gem on her outfit glistened, and she closed it again. I looked at her inquiringly. "Dreamy needs help. I'll see ya later." And with that my friend teleported in a cloud of Divination. Sighing I continued to sharpen my blade before placing it back it's scabbard. Standing I stretched my arms out until I heard a satisfying pop, rolled my shoulders a few times and continued over to Ambrose's. Better to take care of the kiddies sooner than later.

* * *

><p>I glanced around Cyrus's home for a few moments. Its was late out now, the sun set long ago, but there was no sign of Cyrus. While it was nothing new, he was likely still at the school "preparing" for the next class. While he was starting to care more for the student's education, it was going to take a while for him to recover from his brother's death. I doubted he'd be doing a lot of actual teaching any time soon. Sighing I slung my bag onto the chair and slumped onto the couch, kicking my shoes off and splaying my legs across the couch. For the first time in what seemed like forever I felt completely relaxed.<p>

My relaxation was only interrupted when Cyrus opened the door. He frowned at my position on the couch. "Whatever happened to your old formality?" He muttered before walking over to the bookshelf. I simply shrugged.

"You tend to pick up a lot of things when hanging out with Rosie for so long." Cyrus muttered something inaudible as he grabbed a red leather-bound book, coming over the couch and slapping my knees with it.

"Sit properly." Smiling I complied, sitting up straight and leaning over to look at his book.

"Swordstrike _again?" _

"It's a good novel. I don't see why you don't like it. Is Fallon managing to decrease your vocabulary making it so it's too hard to understand?" Smirking I shook my head, turning myself so that my back was against the arm of the couch.

"She's not _that _influential. I just don't like the plot is all. Too bland." I grabbed my sword and started examining it again, leaving Cyrus to his reading. After a few minutes - which was roughly about sixty pages in Cyrus's reading time - he addressed me again.

"Were you productive at all?" He asked, not looking up from his book.

"Today, not really. Rosie wanted to try and get enough tickets for the new robe Diego's handing out to Commander-ranked combatants, then later I went to Ambrose so that he could try and find some proper parents. They're falling back on their studies and I want someone who isn't me or Lord Shadow to look out for them." Cyrus glanced over at me.

"When did you get back from Dragonspyre?"

"Last night. We managed to drive back the Dragonspyrians enough for the locals to handle them, and Ambrose wanted us back so we could get some rest before out next quest. I stayed in Rosie's dorm for the night; only got two hours of sleep though."Cyrus grunted, sighed, and closed his book.

"Then you _should _be in bed young lady." He glared at me with the look of a concerned father; one of the few ways I knew he _did _care for me. "Run along, and put this away while your at it." Rolling my eyes and smirking, I grabbed his book and placed it back on the shelf before grabbing my own belongings and making my way up stairs.

"Goodnight Cyrus."

"Goodnight." I heard his voice echo as I closed the door behind me. Moonlight filtered it's way through the window, allowing Lord Shadow to be spotted on his specially made pillow on my bed, a faint glistening of gold shimmering briefly in the dark room. Smiling fondly at my pet I placed my bag on my desk before removing my Guardians robe, laying it across the chair before slipping into a comfortable nightgown. I laid my sword on the end table close to my bed and silently slipped under the covers, careful not to wake my exhausted dragon. I hugged my pillow and slowly closed my eyes, quickly succumbing to sleep.

I only woke to find myself in a familiar land of nightmares.


	3. Nightmares, The Quest Begins

_**EDIT: Chapter 2 revision is hereeee! Probably gonna do a lot of changing in this chapter too, so old readers, be prepared XD I'm actually happy in a way with these revisions. All of them are much longer, I'm getting more character development in (at least I plan to XD) and there's a bit more detail and side-plots :D So, as always, enjoy!**_

**Chapter 2: Nightmares, The Quest Begins **

_I opened my eyes to find myself in the center of a grass field, powerful gusts of wind and rain tearing at my dress and cloak, threatening to carry me off my feet. I hugged myself as I stood there, cringing as the thunder boomed loudly and the lightning struck around me, catching various patches of grass on fire and wreaking havoc on the nearby forest. Flinching I stumbled backwards, crashing into what felt like a rock, stabbing me in my shoulder blades and sending sharp pangs down the my entire spine. With a gasp of pain I lunged forward, finding the ground fall away and turn into nothingness. Then there I was again, the same grass field and the same winds, only this time there were multiple screams in the air. Wincing I sunk to my knees and placed my hands over my ears in a futile attempt to block out the ear-shattering screams, but they only seemed to become louder until there was a long monotone in my mind. A sword - my sword - suddenly came behind me and slashed at my other shoulder blade, creating another equally-painful wound. The screaming returned, and this time I couldn't stop the tears from rolling down my cheeks as the shadowed figure approached me, the Deadlock Cutlass in his hand._

Gasping for air I shot straight up, the sudden jerking movement causing Lord Shadow to fall to the ground with a yelp. Quickly twisting myself so I could feel my back, I heaved a sigh of relief to find nothing there.

"Heat! You alright?" Lord Shadow hopped back up onto the bed, looking slightly angered by giving the floor a hug though his eyes glistened with worry. I took a deep breath and nodded, grabbing a loose piece of cloth from the end table and wiping the sweat off my forehead and neck.

"Just a nightmare." I muttered groggily as I tossed the now soaked cloth back on the table. Lord Shadow grunted in half-relief. Nightmares weren't uncommon and until they managed to make me go insane they were no threat. I glanced around the room. It was now pitch black save for what little moonlight still found its way in. "How late is it?"

Lord Shadow stretched out, pulling his front legs in front of him and arching his back much like a cat before hopping onto the windowsill. He looked through the window toward the sky and grunted.

"Just after midnight judging by the moon." He muttered before hopping back onto the bed. "When'd you come up here?"

"Around nine I think." I shrugged. "Three to four hours is enough sleep for me."

"No it's not." Lord Shadow snapped, eyes glistening dangerously. I ignored him and pulled on my cloak. Unlike my old one, which was completely made of ragged cloth, this one was made of a thin, grey leather, covering all of my torso, and the hood was made of a durable blue cloth. I pulled the mask over my mouth and grabbed my sword. Lord Shadow raised what could be passed as an eyebrow.

"You're going out this late at night?"

"Just to relax a little. You coming or not?" Lord Shadow sniffed and shook his head, curling up in his pillow.

"You may not be the typical Necromancer Heat, but even you like the dark. As for me, I'm getting some more sleep." I nodded and quietly opened the door.

"I'll be back before dawn." I told him before closing the bedroom door and quickly making my way downstairs. Cyrus wasn't asleep yet, but he was in his room, the faint light of a candle streaking the floor from under the closed door. Assured I wouldn't be caught, I slipped through the front door and calmly walked down the street. All the stores were closed by now; even shopkeepers needed some shuteye.

When I reached the Commons the place was eerily quiet and deserted. Taking a deep breath I jumped onto Ambrose's brick fencing, standing on the point of a post. Spotting the barely visible rope dangling from guard tower I bent my knees and leaped, grabbing it and scaling the wall until I was close to the top of the Shopping District tunnel. Grunting I let go of the rope and grabbed a loose stone, pulling myself over to the top of the tunnel. I sat down and gazed around the Commons, my bare feet dangling off the edge. It was high enough for me to see all of the Commons, and admiring the view I sighed in relaxation.

Rosie had set this little escape up when she was a kid. It was where she went when "outraged city-folk wanted to line their beds with her skin". While I doubted she ever really needed it - at least not after everyone knew about her - I often used it purely for the view. It was a good way to escape from whatever troubles lurked in my mind.

I drew my spell deck and pulled out my Wraith card. I examined the rough piece of parchment before laying it neatly in the palm of my hand. I focused on concentrating all my Necromatic abilities on the spell and muttered a few words in Ancient Celestian. The card shimmered darkly for a moment before a dark mist rose from it, traveling to my side and slowly taking the form of a black-robed Wraith.

My summoned being of Necromancy glanced around, his glaive held tightly in hand, and upon seeing there was no immediate threat, he turned his head toward me. His eyes - if there were any - were hidden underneath his hood.

"When will you summon me for something other than idle chat?" He snarled, his stark-white lips parting to reveal rows of sharp, crooked, blackened teeth. His voice was as far off as a ghosts and was lined with venom. I rested my hand on the hilt of my sword and glared at him. While he was summoned by my magic many a time, both on and off the battle field, and had my complete trust, he was still a Wraith. He was a smart being with a mind of his own, something that separated Wraith's from many other magical beings, and there was no doubt in my mind he wouldn't take his own Master to the Dark Realms if the chance had came.

"When the time calls for it." I answered his question without removing my gaze from him. The Wraith scowled but said nothing in reply, only changing the subject to something more pressing.

"When's the next quest going to be?"

"Some point tomorrow. The Headmaster will call when the time comes. Because he's calling on Legendaries to help with the quest, there will be battle, no doubt about that." The Wraith gave a wicked, blood-thirsty grin and his hand tightened around his glaive. There was no doubt in my mind that the voices of Bloodlust were calling to him. I knew it was only his respect for my Necromatic abilities that held him back from answering those calls now.

"How many will be attending?"

I shrugged. The finer details often weren't given beforehand. "Won't know until I'm in the Headmaster's office. I think it's just going to be a two-man thing, so likely it'll just be me and Fallon Ferrow." The Wraith heaved an agitated sigh. Curiosity began to gnaw at me as I stared at the creature. One thing that fascinated me so much about Wraiths was that they were once humans, and humans had names.

"What's your name?" I asked him. The Wraith visibly flinched at the question.

"_What? _Why ask _that?"_

"You were human once, or at least of human form. Things like that have names, and since you've served under me for a full year now, don't I deserve to know your name?" The Wraith was silent for a while. I couldn't tell if he was contemplating on whether he should tell me or not or if he was trying to remember his own name.

"Zaliithar." He said finally. I nodded, making sure I remembered the name of my most-used creature. The name was new to me and I had no idea where its origin came from, but a name was a name. I looked up to see the moon begin roll down behind the buildings, and Zaliithar scowled. Dawn was near. Nodding to my creature I undid my spell and placed the card back in my deck, going back the way I came and running back home before Cyrus would wake up and see that I had gone out last night. Again.

* * *

><p>"You. Are. So. <em>Ugly!" <em>The girl with the dyed red hair and bright purple contacts was the newest addition to the school, along with her raven-haired round-faced companion. They were troublemakers at the very least, but really they were just another group of annoying, undisciplined, snobby _brats. _Rosie obviously had no liking for the pair, and while they were no threat to her "legit troublemaker" reputation, she had a low tolerance for _anything _she found annoying. These girls were no exception.

Thankfully I was warned by Cyrus about these two. The red-head was Stephanie Stormthrust and her companion was Serena Lifeshard. They were both the newest members of the Myth school, and unfortunately for them, Cyrus was never in a good mood these days. I heard Rosie scowl as Stephanie strutted her way over, Serena trotting at her side.

"Hey floozy," Stephanie pointed a stubby finger at Rosie. "How many guys do _you _flirt with? I bet all of them! You look like the girl who only cares for herself. You like dem boys don't cha?"

Rosie's hand tightened around her trident, and I knew it was taking all the self control she could muster not to respond to these attention-seeking brats. Seeing as Rosie was well-annoyed, Stephanie turned to me, a smug light in those unnatural eyes.

"And you, you're all fake ain't ya? Those eyes are totally contacts and your hair's dyed, right? I bet you use some kind of magic makeup to sculpt a new face 'cause your embarrassed by your natural looks!" Considering her hair _was _dyed and she _did _wear contacts, I was willing to bet that she did use some type of makeup to reinvent her looks, though its not like it helped. Rosie looked disgusted as if she were thinking the same things; eleven year olds shouldn't be behaving like this.

"Do that yourself, you unnatural ginger?" She spat, blue eyes as cold as ice. The girls hardly flinched, but Stephanie seemed withdrawn. In the depths of her eyes I saw panic, and I smiled. Only Rosie would be willing to scare the living daylights out of little kids, at least in her age group that was the case. Cyrus had her beat by a long shot.

Serena tugged at her companions sleeve as the bell rung, and with a final glare Stephanie reluctantly followed her friend into the main school area. Rosie kicked the lamppost as she growled, letting loose any pent up anger. I stood well out of her way as she went berserk on her surroundings.

"Stupid, annoying, half-witted brats..." She spat finally, rolling her shoulders and calming down. I smiled and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Come on Rose, Ambrose has another quest for us and he shouldn't be kept waiting." sighing my friend nodded and led the way to the Headmaster's house. Inside was the same old usual: piles of misplaced papers and books, a semi-clean desk, two bookshelves crammed with various books and articles, and an old man shuffling through a pile in search for one thing or another. The only thing that was "out of place" was Mr. Lincoln, looking flustered at the complete disarray of the Headmaster's office. Rosie cleared her throat to catch their attention. Ambrose's eyes flickered up and he sighed in relief, obviously looking forward to some distraction.

"Ladies, good of you to come so quickly!" He smiled his usual grandfatherly smile. "I'm sorry to tell you that this thing I need help with is rather...boring and unchallenging. With everyone off helping with the clean up, you two were the only ones I can spare without it being to detrimental to your studies."

"What is it, gramps?" Rosie asked as she leaned against her trident. Ambrose went over to his desk and pulled out an empty flask.

"This needs to be filled with the Blood of Paix, and ancient guardian in Mooshu. Don't worry." he added at Rosie's disgusted face. "It's not real blood. Rather it's a mixture of a few select plants. I don't know the recipe, but an old student does. He's not especially adept in the magical arts, so he shouldn't be too difficult to take down. Try to bring him back if you can, but _don't _do what is unnecessary." He handed Rosie a map and a scroll concealing the finer details of the quest. Mr. Lincoln was tapping his foot on the ground in impatience. Ambrose sighed and nodded in quick farewell before returning to his pile.

"I'm gonna go by Elik's and see if there are any good swords he has. I'm not lugging _this _thing around Mooshu." Rosie shook her trident as we left the house. I nodded and watched her disappear into the Shopping District. I thought about going back home and getting a few extra supplies, but what I didn't have Rosie would probably get, and considering it wasn't an especially difficult journey we wouldn't need much. Instead I turned and walked the other direction toward Ravenwood.

The place was just as beautiful and peaceful as always. As I walked down the road I glanced at the Myth school, then with a decisive shake of the head I moved on. It was likely Cyrus wouldn't want me intruding whether he was teaching or not. Instead I leaned against the Fire tower and watched as Malorn taught the Novices. After Malistaire had gone, he took his place and tutored the newer, less experienced wizards until they were a high enough rank to receive teachings from Dworgyn. He's done a good job since, and until another teacher could be found he was willing to continue his teaching. When he looked up and spotted me, he gave a warm smile. I waved for him to continue with his teaching.

There was no need though. He gave them their homework assignments and the bell rang shortly after. Malorn jumped to his feet and came over to meet me, greeting me with a hug.

"Good to see ya again Heat!" He commented as he took a few steps back, green eyes glistening warmly. I smiled. While we weren't especially close, we had worked together on all the group projects in class and hung out often in my Novice years. A good five ranks ahead of me he was currently a solid Legendary at rank sixty five, matching Rosie in the experience section. He was easily one of the best Necromancers in the school.

"I see you still enjoy teaching the kiddies." I teased as we started our way down the road. Malorn gave a disgruntled sniff.

"A lot of them are brats who couldn't tell a Fodder from a Wraith. I miss going out on quests and helping others; kids get tiring after a while."

"Bring your problems up with Cyrus. I'm sure he'll sympathize with you." Malorn chuckled and leaned against the wall of the Ice school.

"I'm sure he would. Everyone's wondering how you managed to get on his good side." He sniggered. Shrugging I leaned against the wall beside him, looking as the students rushed to get to their classes.

"He has his reasons, but I have no idea what they are." I sighed as a refreshing breeze blew across my face. The silky blue ribbon in my hair managed to untangle itself and flow slightly with the wind until Malorn caught it. Smirking he looked it over, pulling out thin strands of hair.

"You have super thin hair!" He teased. Blushing I snatched it away from him and put my hair up again, wrapping the soft fabric more tightly this time. While thin hair wasn't necessarily a bad thing, everyone - especially Malorn - liked to tease me about it, and I was always easily embarrassed.

"I see you two love birds are hitting it up again." The smug voice of Rosie made us both look up, spotting the redhead with a mischievous grin on her face. We both blushed slightly.

"Shut up!" We said simultaneously. Rosie sniggered and threw her hands up in defeat.

"Sorry sorry! Hey, I like to tease people, alright? Anyways," Rosie directed her gaze at me. "I think Cyrus wants to see you before we leave. Something about your birthday I reckon." Surprised I glanced at Malorn for a moment. He smiled and gave a quick shrug.

"I need to get back to the kids. See you girls around." Hipping his hat in farewell he left without another word. Rosie sniggered beside me, but before she could come up with something smart to say, I was already heading toward home.

* * *

><p>After meeting up with him in the Commons Cyrus told me to look in my room on the desk. When I did look, I found an odd looking eyepiece wrapped in paper. A note was attached to it.<p>

_Dear Heat,_

_I know your seventeenth birthday is coming up and you'll be heading out again. Since you won't be here I thought I'd give you a gift beforehand. This eyepiece was given to me by my grandfather on his deathbed. He told me to give it to someone special, and finally, after nine long years of being my adopted daughter, I believe you managed to make yourself special. You're a powerful young wizard who proved many stereotypes wrong and have saved many people over the years. I know the nightmares you have are difficult to deal with - I saw you sneak out last night, by the way - and yet you manage to keep yourself selfless and level-headed. I truly am proud to call you my daughter._

_Sincerely, Cyrus_

I smiled fondly down at the note. While a lot of it was simple praise I heard on a regular basis by others, it felt more special knowing it came from Cyrus, the strictest, meanest guy in Wizard City. It was comforting in a way.

I tucked the note safely away in my bag before looking over the eyepiece. It was heavy for such a small contraption. It was in the shape of a Minotaur's head, made of jade and emerald stones with rough edges from years of wear. The glass itself was thick, the edges a rusty brown color and the rest was scratched and patches were completely clouded over. It felt to have some magical component added to it, but I couldn't tell what it was.

I didn't have time to linger on it though. The red gem on my Guardian's Outfit glistened, and Rosie's voice rang in my ears as she told me to hurry up. Calling Lord shadow and my gryphon, I shoved the eyepiece in another pouch and teleported to Rosie. She was already in Mooshu, marching down the path with complete confidence.

**So no one's confused, here's how to pronounce some names XD**

**Zaliithar (Zal-ee-th-are) and Paix (pay)**


	4. Storm Telling

_**EDIT: Chapter 3 revision :D This is really just a redo with nothing new xD. Hopefully the overall chapter is better and more detailed. I added a fight scene and I want to know if I did a decent enough job depicting it and making it more realistic (that is, if such a word could be applied to things often associated with illusion and conjuring up imaginary creatures xP) It's definitely longer now that I have a lot I can work with XD Enjoy! Oh, and Firestorm, I hope you like the ending ;P  
><strong>_

**Chapter Three: Storm Telling**

Cloud was a fast and loyal gryphon, getting me anywhere faster than it normally would've taken, but he was young and playful. Every so often I would have to pull at his reins to get him to focus on the road ahead. Lord Shadow was curled comfortably in the crook between his shoulders, keeping a watchful gaze on his surroundings.

"So who is this former Ravenwood student?" I asked Rosie, tugging at Clouds reins for what felt like the fifteenth time that day. My redheaded friend reached into a pocket Mellow's saddle, briefly letting go of the Unicorn's reins. The stallion neighed and slowed down slightly to make sure her owner didn't fall off.

"I can't pronounce the name..." She confessed reluctantly, frowning as she stared at the piece of parchment. Mellow snorted in amusement. While the white and red unicorn wasn't able to speak, making her unique in a way compared to other Unicorns, she was still a very smart stallion. Rosie rolled her eyes and batted her gently on the nose. Mellow snorted once again and trotted off at a higher pace, causing Cloud to lift off from the ground slightly and fly to catch up to her. Rosie tossed me the scroll. I immediately knew what she meant when she said she couldn't pronounce it. The hardly legible writing didn't help matters either.

"Bedoier..?" I frowned. The way it was spelled made it seem like it came from some ancient language, but I couldn't tell which. "Says he's a former student of the Death and Storm schools. He left Ravenwood after he believed they didn't provide him with sufficient teachings. He supposedly has a high resistance to both."

"Which means we gotta bring out the secondary decks?" Rosie's eyes glistened apprehensively as I nodded my head. While I was perfectly capable with handling Sorcery, Rosie relied heavily on her powerful Storm attacks and her Theurgy could still use some work, not to mention how little damage the attacks actually did.

"Go ahead and keep a few Storm Lords in. High resistance or not, he'll probably just have a life shield or too, meaning life'll be equally useless." Rosie nodded as she pulled out her deck, already setting the spells up even though it was still a good day or two away from battle.

"Why don't you fight in the Arena?" She asked she she flipped through her deck. "You'd be really good."

"I don't know...never really crossed my mind." I shrugged and stroked Cloud's feathery head as he looked back curiously. "I just don't have any real want to fight there."

"So why are you still rank sixty when we started at the same time?" Again I shrugged.

"I'm a full year and a half younger than you Rosie. I just think it's a bit unfair to be a high ranker whilst being so young." That much was true. If it weren't for Malistaire's insistence for me to start as soon as possible, I would've started at the age of eleven instead of nine. I intentionally took my time with my studies simply because it was odd to be surrounded by kids older than me. If Rosie hadn't had her birthday the week before school started, she would've been forced to wait until the middle of the school year; I was relieved she managed to convince Mr. Lincoln to let her join.

"It's unfair that you're one of the strongest Necromancers around and you won't go to Ambrose and ask for a rank-change." My friend glanced at me through the corner of her eye as she placed her deck back. "People are always fooled when you say sixty when you should be sixty five, maybe even higher."

I didn't respond. Instead I looked up to see the sun slip behind a dark grey cloud, the light suddenly darkening as we continued down the beaten path. A cold wind blew from the west.  
>"I think a storm's coming."<p>

Rosie frowned, doubt clear in her gaze, but she didn't question me. Instead she turned Mellow to begin going off-road in search for better protected shelter. A sudden screech for help caused us both to flinch and we pulled at our reins to stop our mounts from going deeper into the undergrowth. The scream sounded _terrifyingly _familiar... I glanced back and let out a sharp gasp as I saw Kiley and Cori engaged in a duel, a Cyclops spell smashing down on Cori's magical barrier, creating several large cracks on its surface. Immediately I jumped off of Cloud and stormed into the next available duel mark. In the back of my mind I felt relief; the pig they were dueling had enough honor to duel fairly.

I drew my cards and glared at them. The only ones that would be classified as useful were Sacrifice and Death Blade. I quickly glanced at Cori. Her barrier was nearly down and her eyes were heavy with exhaustion; her mana was quickly depleting. She would be out of the battle soon. Waiting until Kiley had effectively cast a life blade, I placed Sacrifice in front of me and drew my cutlass, drawing the Necromancy insignia. A sharp, burning pain surged through my entire body, making my head ring momentarily, but I ignored it. Instead I focused my gaze on Cori. My black-haired friend let out a short gasp as she was revitalized, a fiery light returning in her mint green eyes as her exhaustion was suddenly swept away. Her barrier lit up in a white light for a brief moment as it restored itself. A few cracks were still there, but there were no openings.

Now assured that Cori was out of danger - and well away from collapsing due to exhaustion - I told the girls to flee. They immediately leaped back and broke through the barrier, emerging on the other side of the duel-circle and running over to Rosie, who rested her hands on their shoulders. I switched to the first position of the duel-circle, cutlass in my hand and spell cards positioned and ready for immediate use. The pig they were facing was clad in leather armor and had a battleaxe slung across his back. The scar over his right eye indicated he knew how to fight with weaponry, but he was no adept wizard. The cracks in his barrier proved it.

The card that replaced Sacrifice was a mere Pixie, and growling I discarded the leaf-green spell and instead used the Death Blade. A small puff of pitch black mist formed over my head as the charm began to materialize, spinning slowly around my head as it waited for use, and my turn ended. The pig gave me a wicked and evil smile, shifting his battleaxe into his hand and drawing a Conjuration spell. Murky waters suddenly rose from the ground in the battle field, and with it a large, fat, slimy green frog. Humungofrog - easily any wizards least favorite spell - suddenly spewed up its insides, the revolting chunks of food and murky swamp water splashing heavily against my barrier, briefly blocking my vision. I forced myself not to gag at the disgusting stench.

The next round I actually got a decent attack. Vampire was far from the best, but it'd suffice. I watched as a coffin materialized from the mist and swung open, an ear-piercing screech in the air as the half-bat half-human monstrosity flew out, eyes filled with hunger as he stared at the pig. My Death Blade snapped away from me and the vampire's pupils dilated as power surged through his small, hybrid body. Screeching he burst forward, his wings batting roughly at the barrier as his fangs penetrated it. The magical force field shattered and the pig collapsed, falling to his knees and gasping for breath. I withdrew my vampire as the duel circle faded slowly away.

I kept my cutlass in hand as I put my spell deck away. The pig might've been honorable enough to form a duel-circle, but there was no telling how far that honor went with this aggressive creature. The pig snorted and clutched his battleaxe tightly as he stood, a wild light entering his amber eyes. Without warning he charged toward me, a wordless battle cry escaping his snout as he lifted his axe high above him. I nimbly sidestepped just in time as his large weapon swung at me, cutting off a few strands of hair as I twirled around to meet him. Clumsily he lunged forward again, and I crouched down to avoid his swing before thrusting my cutlass into his ribcage, feeling the end of the blade penetrate his heart. I felt the Necromatic powers of the blade grow, begging for more blood, more death, but I ignored it, kicking his corpse off my cutlass. He collapsed into a lifeless bundle on the ground, eyes glazed over as he stared never-ending at the sky. He wasn't as skilled with battle as I had originally thought.

While his axe looked tempting enough to take, I simply ignored my fallen enemy and approached my friends at the street side, wiping the blood off my cutlass with a rag. Kiley and Cori were watching with horrified stares, and I grimaced. I wanted them to be older before they had to witness something like that, but I shook the feeling of guilt away. They had to learn at some point.

"This is why I wanted you to study!" I snarled as I sheathed my weapon. "_This_," I pointed to the body of the dead warrior. "Is the life of a wizard! If you had lost the bout, _that's _what you would've become. Your lucky that pig had enough sense and honor to duel it out fairly!"

Kiley was looking at the ground, a terrified realization in those watery blue eyes, but Cori was her same old self. While she certainly looked frightened enough, there was the same old defiance about her.

"The fodders back at Triton didn't do that to us!" She retorted hotly. Rosie glared at her and grabbed her arm.

"That's probably because Duncan formed the duel-circle before their lifeless carcasses could swing their shovel at you!" She spat. I opened my mouth to add more to the scolding, but was cut off by Lord Shadow's growl. I turned to follow his gaze, pulling out my cutlass as I saw a bush begin to wriggle, carefully beginning to creep forward. Cori, losing all sense of the former defiance, huddled behind Cloud and Mellow with Kiley, eyes wide as Rosie drew her own very large, very sharp Bristleback Blade.

I raised my blade as two jumbled forms fell out from behind the bush, but stopped mid-swing, staring wide-eyed at the blue and yellow mass as two little girls untangled themselves from each other. I heard Rosie's loud, exaggerated, and _incredibly_ annoyed sigh. Stephanie and Serena looked up in a mixture of embarrassment and defiance.

I frowned and sheathed my sword again. The two girls were still in their Novice clothes, meaning they only took one or two classes before coming here. I couldn't say I was happy to see them alive.

"What are _you _two doing here?" Rosie spat as she returned her blade to it's scabbard on her back. I could tell she was about to pull her hair out at how many annoying "obstacles" got in our way. Stephanie sniffed and flipped her short, flimsy hair.

"Following those two misbehaving brats."

"You do realize following them just makes you even worse?" Rosie's eyes glistened dangerously. I leaned back against Cloud and let her deal with them. She had enough pent up anger to let out, and these girls were the perfect opportunity to do just that.

"How's that?" Stephanie spat, not flinching away from her steely gaze. Serena took a few steps back though, keeping her eyes locked to the ground. I cocked my head as I examined her timid behavior. _A quiet girl that one_.

"You're, what, two classes in without any experience? You're lucky something hasn't picked you off yet! At least those two have experience, but _you, _you're fresh. Your like two babies who just left their mother's side. You wanna try fighting off battle hardened blood-thirsty warriors?"

Stephanie opened her mouth to respond, but Rosie had already turned her back on her, coming over to Mellow and adjusting her saddle. "All of you are gonna pick a mount, two people each, and your going to follow us whether you like it or not. Get it? Got it? Good." All four glanced at each other before making the pick. Kiley and Cori quickly hopped onto Cloud, holding tightly onto his saddle as he lifted off gently to test the weight. Stephanie and Serena, with the help of an annoyed Rosie, hoisted themselves up onto Mellow, who grunted in submission. The feisty horse looked as if she liked the girls just as much as her rider.

"Storm's coming," I informed my new companions as I walked beside Rosie in the lead. Kiley and Cori gave no protests as they hugged themselves. Stephanie shared a doubtful glance with Serena before responding.

"I don't think there's going to be a storm." She sniffed haughtily. I glanced back at her.

"Do you know who I am?"

"No, why should I know about some snot nosed contact-wearing nub?"

"Because it's all part of the Lightning Gaze legend."

* * *

><p>After properly schooling the younger students about the Lightning Gaze storm and constant bickering between Cori and Stephanie, we finally found our way to a cave just off the road. The mounts and kids stormed in quickly as the first drops of water fell from the sky, muttering and snorting as they shook off what little rain had managed to trickle onto them. Rosie and I fell back, scanning the surrounding areas for any possible trouble. Seeing none, we followed them into the cave. I made my way over to Cloud and undid his saddle, laying it on the far side of the wall. He rumbled in relief and immediately laid down beside it, falling fast asleep. The poor guy was exhausted after carrying the combined weight of Kiley and Cori, neither of which especially light.<p>

Rosie's mount was no better. While the horse was fast and stealthy, Mellow wasn't the strongest steed in the Spiral, and when Rosie took her saddle off she slumped down beside Cloud and dozed off. Rosie smirked and settled down beside me.

"What are the chances of a Unicorn-Gryphon hybrid?" She asked with a smirk. I snorted and shook my head.

"Not even possible. They're two completely different species." Rosie rolled her eyes and muttered a "you're no fun" before reaching over to her bag and grabbing a bottle of water. As she did so, Lord Shadow came over and settled into my lap.

"I miss my pillow already." He muttered as he buried his head into my leg. I smiled and ran a hand down his smooth scales, examining the tiny, almost unnoticeable specks of gold that dotted his body. Rosie glanced over as she gulped down her water.

"How'd you guys meet anyways? I never heard the story." I smiled as I thought back at the memory.

"It was back when I was and Adept. My cousin and I were just informed by Boris about the Kraken, and after a bit of arguing we decided to go down and stop him. Back then, the Kraken wasn't just the neighborhood bully, but a real threat. We engaged him in a duel, but he didn't like to play fair then, and before either of us could form a duel-circle, he charged at me. I tied to dodge but his tail had caught me and I was flung into the water. It was Lord Shadow who dived in first and dragged me close enough to the top for my cousin to grab me and pull me out. He formed the duel-circle before the Kraken could swipe at us again and cast a Dragonblade spell for me. After a few boosted spells the Kraken collapsed and fled back into the waters. When I turned to look at Lord Shadow, we smiled at each other, and we knew we'd make a perfect team."

"Perfect's hardly the word I would choose." Lord Shadow muttered, but feeling his throat rumble against my leg, I knew he was content with my telling of the story. Rosie had a soft smile on her face.

"Didn't you and your cousin discover some threat to the Spiral after defeating the Kraken?" I smirked and leaned back against the cave wall, closing my eyes and continuing to stroke Lord Shadow.

"Rosie...that's a story for another time."


	5. Tempermental

_**EDIT: Chapter 4 revision is here, now visible on your screen :D Hopefully it's not TOO shabby; a lot of these rewrites are almost like new chapters with a lot of changes, so once I actually finish the story I'll prob have to go back and revise it AGAIN...it's still way better than the old (although, whenever I go back and read it I think its crap...sucks writing when you're unmotivated) xP Anyways, enjoy!**_

**Chapter 4: Temperamental  
><span>**

"I'm hungry!" It was almost like Stephanie's complaining was never-ending. As soon was we left the cave she's been haughty, wants-to-be-in-control, oblivious, ignorant, and just about everything else that could correlate with "annoying".

"Quit your whining you annoying little brat! We'll eat shortly!" Rosie's complaining about Stephanie was almost just as bad. My red-headed friend grumbled silently to herself as she looked over the map, running one tan finger down various places and marking things in red. She grunted and shaking her head she rolled the scroll back up she shoved it roughly back into her bag.

"There's a clearing just ahead, about forty paces off road to the north." She told me, pointing in my direction. "About another half hour of walking and we should reach it. We'll stay on the path for another fifteen minutes or so then we'll head out." I nodded. Even getting distracted by our visit to the cave last night wasn't enough to get us lost, not with Rosie's direction skills.

"_What? Another _half hour?" Stephanie groaned, and I fought against the increasingly strong urge to slap her. If she wanted to be a wizard, she was going to have to get used to limited breaks and having someone else in command. She still had a good few years ahead before she could even _think _of being the leader.

_"Stephanie wouldn't last a day on her own." _Rosie's chuchoter rang in my ears, and when I glanced at her her arm was stiff and her hand was clenched in a fist. She was practically forcing herself not to lop off the girl's head. I didn't blame her.

Unlike her loud and persistent comrade, Serena was quiet. While I often caught her and Stephanie whispering to each other about one thing or another, she wouldn't say anything to the group. Sometimes Kiley would attempt to get a conversation going, but unless it was a nod or a shake of the head, she wouldn't give a response, just sit there and quietly think to herself. She definitely gave the impression of being smart, but other than that the girl was a mystery to me.

I frowned as I heard Cori start up another argument with Stephanie, her soft, raspy voice exclaiming some absurd thing I didn't catch. While she wasn't complaining as much as I thought she would, she was equal to Stephanie in ways of stubbornness and defiance. There was constant bickering between the two, and even when Rosie or I told them to stop they'd start up again a few minutes later, sometimes going to a completely different subject. Kiley would often try to get them to stop by changing the subject, but it was to no avail. The two girls were never going to get along

* * *

><p>Just as Rosie had said, it was only a half hour until we reached an open field. The grass was soft and tall trees surrounded the area. I heard the flowing water of a creek nearby, which meant there would be no shortage of water. It was perfect for providing protection.<p>

Or, in Rosie's mind, perfect for an ambush.

"Alright guys, set up the camping supplies. We're staying here for the night." Rosie ordered as she scanned careful eyes over the clearing. Stephanie sniffed and flipped her hair.

"It's still light out!" She protested. "Can't we go farther?"

"_You're _the only reason we're stopping. If you guys hadn't decided to hitch along for the ride, we'd be done with the quest and back in Wizard City by now." Rosie snarled, blue eyes blazing. I smirked at Stephanie's pout and went over to meet my friend in the center of the field.

"How's watch going to be set up?" I asked her. Rosie glanced around the clearing, thinking and muttering silently to herself.

"We'll take two hour shifts." She decided. She pointed a finger over towards a branch jutting out of a tree a good few feet above the ground. "We'll sit up there, or at least by the tree at the foot of the tree; depends on if we can get up there. That way we'll be able to see and hear anything that approaches. I'll take first watch." I nodded. Because of Rosie's higher rank, she was in charge of many of the quests we were given unless being told otherwise, and I couldn't help but feel a little relieved. Even though she was more on the impatient side, her quick-thinking and sense of direction and leadership made her perfect for things like this.

I went over to help Cori pull the blankets out from the binding on Cloud's saddle. The gryphon had been freed from his heavy weight and was flying around well above the trees, squawking and roaring as he swept over the trees, leaves falling off the branches and floating to the ground. Cori laughed and lifted her bad arm awkwardly in the air toward him. As if she suddenly felt conscious of the unattractive crook in her arm she pulled it back down sharply to her side and glanced at Stephanie. The annoying little red head had her back turned. I knew that her arm wouldn't hurt unless she tried to bend it or hit it on something, but the way her elbow bent forwards was grotesque looking. I rested a reassuring hand on her shoulder before pulling away, pulling two heavy blankets down and laying them side by side.

Rosie was stroking Mellow's mane when I approached her again, leaving the younger kids to argue over sleeping arrangements. Lord Shadow flew over to my side and climbed onto my shoulder, his claws embedding themselves into the holes he'd already created in my dress.

"Were we going to set up a fire?" I asked her.

"Depends. Does it look like it's going to storm again?" I glanced up at the sky. While there was a slight overcast, the clouds were a lighter shade of grey and no wind was blowing.

"No, I doubt it unless the wind starts up again, or if it gets any more humid." I told her.

"Then no, not if there's even a slight chance of rain. Besides it'll be warm enough as it is tonight."

I nodded and left her to take care of her Unicorn, slumping down with my back against a tree well away from the others. Lord Shadow crawled off my shoulder and stood in front of me, ice blue eyes sparkling with an unasked question..

"Well?" I muttered, pulling out my cutlass and whetstone to begin my routine sharpening.

"You had another nightmare last night." Lord Shadow's voice was curt. "And you left the cave around midnight. Just where did you go?"

"Nothing gets past you, huh?" I sighed, slowly running the whetstone along the edge of my blade. "By then the rain had stopped, so I went out for a bit."

"Well, don't do it again." He sniffed. "I don't want you risking your life and sanity by going out so soon after a storm, especially if you've had a nightmare."

I frowned, knowing exactly what he meant. While he wasn't there, I had told him the story. It happened just a year after my arrival in Wizard City...

* * *

><p><em>Thunder and lightning sounded in her ears, and terrified she shot straight up. Heavy rains and strong winds buffeted at her window. Was this it? Was her nightmare real? Was that awful night coming back to haunt her? She shrieked and tears began to stream along her pale cheeks. Losing all self control she jumped out of bed and slammed the door open, running down the hall and stumbling down the stairs. Her old bruises on her back burned with an immense pain as her back struck the edge of a step, but she completely ignored it. She ran outside without taking any notice to the man calling her name.<em>

_The man, who claimed the girl to be his daughter, went over and peered into her room. Seeing as she wasn't there, a faint panic stirred across his face, and grabbing his wand he went outside. The storm was easing, much to his relief, and he walked quickly down the road, following the bare, tiny footprints left behind in the mud. He found her huddled behind a tower in Triton Avenue, hugging her knees tightly to her chest. The man was unsure what to do, but there was no need to think. The girl, seeing the closest thing she had to a father, burst forward and wrapped her small arms around him, trembling in both cold and fear. _

_The man gently picked her up and carried her back home. Once they were there, she was too terrified to sleep alone, so he laid her down in his own bed. Taking a seat in the chair he opened up a book and kept one eye on her. Perhaps her nightmares really were that terrifying._

* * *

><p>"Poor Cyrus lost a weeks worth of sleep after that incident, or so you told me." Lord Shadow's deep, raspy voice snapped me out of the memory. I looked at him and sighed, sheathing my weapon and laying the scabbard on the ground beside me.<p>

"I was a child then." I told him. My voice was more curt than I anticipated, but it wouldn't phase him. Lord Shadow was too stubborn and too strong to be phased. "That won't happen again."

Lord Shadow grunted. "You're still a child Heat, and while you weren't physically injured, something happened that night. The Lightning Gaze storm haunts you, and you're too stubborn to tell me why." Without another word my pet turned and stalked off toward the makeshift bed, claiming a spot close to Kiley. Rosie was sitting up on top of the branch, gazing around with sharp blue eyes, her sword arm ready to reach back and grab her blade. I frowned and laid down on the soft grass, making sure my sword was withing arms reach. Better to get some sleep then none at all.

* * *

><p>A soft hand shaking my shoulder woke me, and blinking my eyes open I saw Rosie staring down at me with tired eyes. "You didn't eat yet. Get your strength up then it's your shift." She shoved a bowl of berries into my hand and slumped down beside me. Grunting I sat up and slowly began to eat them, a mixture of sour and sweet flavors erupting in my mouth, chasing out the dry taste I had.<p>

I turned to ask Rosie a few questions, but she was already on her side, a soft snore escaping her mouth. I smiled and stood up, rolling my shoulders and putting my sword belt back on. Instead of climbing and perching myself on the tree, I went behind it and drew my spell deck. Drawing my Wraith card, Zaliithar materialized from the mist once again, but this time he knew he wasn't going into battle. He scowled at me.

"What is it this time Shadowsword?" He spat.

"I need information." I told him. I went over to Mellow's saddle and pulled out the information scroll. Zaliithar's rancid breath blew down my neck, and I immediately twirled away from him, opening the scroll and glaring at him. His glaive was raised slightly, but not in a threatening way. At least, not yet.

"Bloodlust calls to you, I know, and you will have your battle." I told him, resting a hand on my sword hilt just as I always did when I called to him. "But first, I need to know how to pronounce his name, and does he sound familiar? It's spelled B-E-D-O-I-E-R."

"It's pronounced Behd-wire, and he was my former Master." A snarl formed on Zaliithar's face as he thought back. "Worthless carcass is a failed excuse of a Necromancer. Brings shame to his name."

"What does his name mean?"

"Grave-knower." He spat in disgust. "Even _you _know more about the shadows of death and pain than _he _does."

"And he's your former master?" I asked. Before he could reply there was rustling, and a stray warrior pig lashed out. I started to pull out my cutlass, but Zaliithar was faster. He flashed his glaive out, the curved blade embedding itself in the pigs skull. The warrior didn't even have time to screech as the Being of Death absorbed all that was living from him. A thick, dark red substance was absorbed by the dark weapon, sucking away the skin and blood until there was nothing but a dusty pile of bones. To the average person, or even a young Nercomatic, would've found the scene shocking and grotesque. I simply watched unflinchingly as Zaliithar pulled his glaive back up to a standing position as he regarded me once more.

"Yes, he's my former master. When I was left unused the Council pulled me away from his spell-grasp."

"So he's unable to use Wraith?"

"Not necessarily." Zaliithar scowled once again. "The failure Skreth took my place in an attempt to be bound to the mortal plains. He is untrained in Bloodlust's ways."

"How powerful is Bedoier and Skreth?" I felt my curiosity begin to peek again. While the Council of Bloodlust was kept secret and oblivious to any mortal, Zaliithar had mentioned it enough times for me to guess a few things worked in the Dark Realms. I was willing to bet that there was some sort of torturous training.

"Skreth is a mere weakling." Zaliithar snarled. "Those who lack the teachings of Bloodlust lack power and..._understanding_. While Bedoeir is clueless in Necromancy, he's passable for a diviner. Physically he is nothing."

I nodded half to myself, making mental notes about our current objective. We'd have to be careful with his resistance to both our main attack schools, but once we got past the duel he would be easy to capture or kill. I nodded to my summoned creature before withdrawing the spell. I climbed up the tree and sat myself on the branch. Everyone was sleeping soundly in their original spots, and I forced myself to relax as much as I could. It's not natural to speak with any summoned creature, especially one who worships Bloodlust.


	6. Storming Again

**EDIT: 3,605 words. BAM XD I'm so glad these rewrites are much MUCH longer than the original chappies. The story itself seems a bit jumbled ('least to me) but if anyone has issues with that (unless its just me XD) I'll go in and change at the OFFICIAL rewrites I'll be doing after the story is finished. For now, do enjoy! XD **

**Chapter 5: Storming Again**

Throughout the rest of the night Rosie and I switched watches every two hours (or at least what could be passed as two hours.) It was my shift once again when the sun peeked through the trees, blinding me momentarily as the darkness of the forest slowly faded away. Rosie, as suspected, was the first to awake. Her blue eyes flickered open and within seconds she was on her feet and gently kicking the others in the ribs to wake them up. Cori and Kiley, now used to waking at the break of dawn, simply grumbled as they stood up, grabbing their staffs and folding up the blanket they shared. Lord Shadow snorted as he was nearly folded up, wiggling himself out and glaring at the chuckling girls as he flew over to me, perching himself on my shoulder.

"Don't see why they can't just give me a normal wake-up call...for once." He muttered in my ear. I sniggered and shook my head.

"Your reactions are priceless Shadow. If you weren't so expressive you would get a kick in the ribs as well."

"And I'd act like Stephanie more than likely." My dragon pointed his snout toward the direction of the redhead. Looking down I watched as Rosie nudged the young girl in an attempt to wake her up. Stephanie grumbled and waved her hand as if to smack something away before turning over to her side. Scowling in annoyance Rosie delivered a harsh blow to the girls back, receiving a satisfying yelp in response. I smiled and shook my head. Novices.

Serena was a bit more complying. While it did take a few extra nudges she got up without complaint, shaking herself lazily in an attempt to wake up more before folding the blanket up. I thought about shouting at Stephanie and forcing her to help, but sighing I realized what a waste of breath that would be. Instead I jumped off the low-hanging branch and made my way over to Rosie, who was fixing Mellow's saddle.

"We'll be leaving immediately," she informed me as she strapped on the saddle. "We need to cover as much ground as possible; the youngings are gonna slow us down much more than I anticipated."

I nodded and whistled to Cloud who quickly flew over and rubbed his head against my stomach in a 'good morning' gesture. I gave him a friendly pat on the head and threw the well-sized saddle onto his back, tightening the straps before shoving the two blankets into the larger pouch. He growled at the heavy weight but didn't do anything else, simply stretched his wings out and flew over to Kiley and Cori, a look of discomfort creeping onto his face as the pair settled themselves on the saddle.

I heard Rosie chuckle in amusement before she took the lead, not looking back to see if Stephanie and Serena had mounted Mellow. After I made sure everything was packed up I quickly fell in behind her. Rosie always kept a fast and steady pace when it came to missions like this. When we came across the pile of pig bones Zaliithar had kindly left behind she faltered a bit, but she shook her head, muttered something about Necromancers, and continued on. There was hardly any talk until we reached another road two hours later where Rosie finally issued a quick break to examine her map.

I went around the group and gave everyone some bread and berries, pausing beside Kiley and examining her. She looked tired and worn down, her skin nearly pale white and her eyelids heavy. I immediately knew why.

"Do you still have some pills?" I asked her quietly. She frowned and nodded her head sleepily.

"Only one though, and I'm saving it for when I need it."

"You look like you need it now." I frowned. Taking her bag I fiddled through what little things it held and pulled out a tiny leather-made pouch, pulling out the small purple-green pill. Kiley hesitated before taking it, taking a few sips of water in sighing in what I thought to be relief. _The journey must have taken a lot out of her_, I thought_. __We're gonna have to stop by a village and see if they have anything for her._

Rosie was still scanning the map when we prepared to head out again. When I asked her where the nearest village was she asked why, and after explaining the situation to her she reluctantly agreed to take the route away from Bedoier toward a small fishing village. It wasn't on the map itself, but after extensive researching of the area Rosie knew where it was and had marked it in red. The pace was much slower this time, resulting in an arguing Stephanie and Cori. I knew a peaceful trip was too good to be true.

* * *

><p>I stood beside Rosie as Lord Shadow went ahead in search of a medical store with Kiley and Cori. We kept one eye on them until they disappeared before turning our full attention to Stephanie who was already making a mess of things...as usual.<p>

"Aww, aren't you a little wimpy kid?" She scoffed as one of the local boys; a grey-eyed blue-haired kid who looked no more than four. His eyes widened in both shock and terror as Stephanie glared down at him. I felt my hand clench around my cutlass as Stephanie continued the snide remarks. Just as I was about to move in Rosie burst forward and grabbed the stubby redhead by the ear, her height and strength making it easy for her to lift the younger girl off the ground.

"Ow ow _ow!" _Stephanie's screeches of pain must've been music to Rosie's ears. My best friend plopped her on the ground but was in no way done with the punishing. Her sword arm - slightly more muscular and powerful than her left - grabbed Stephanie by the shoulder and shoved her roughly into the nearby inn, eyes lit up in fiery anger. I smiled. Poor Stephanie was going to get the whooping of her _life. _

Content all punishing would be done by Rosie I made my way over to the boy. He had fallen down to his knees, eyes shut tight and his hands clasped over his ears, tears rolling down his cheeks. I settled myself down in front of him, making sure anything that looked intimidating was well out of the way. He opened one eye hesitantly.

"Hi there," I smiled. "My name's Heat. Don't worry, that girl's not gonna bug you anymore." _Not with how good Rosie is at getting her way anyways._

He looked a little comforted, the tears stopping, but he still looked scared. I glanced around and spotted a ball laying in the street, and seeing as there was no one else around I stood up and made my way over to it, kicking it to him. "How about we play a game or two?"

The boy allowed a small smile and nodded, scrambling to his feet and kicking the ball back with surprising strength. I smiled and kicked it back with equal force. We continued the little game of pass back until I felt a faint pang in my back. I sighed and leaned against the wall of a house.

"Where do you live?" I asked the boy. His cheeky grin showed none of the signs of his brief bully-session with Stephanie as he approached me. He pointed a stubby finger to the inn Rosie had disappeared into. He grabbed my hand and started tugging me forward. I felt an odd sensation creep into me, much like the one I had with Malistaire years back, but to my confusion the boy gave no signs of feeling it. I shook the magnetic feeling off and ignored the confusion as the boy pulled me forward.

The Rusty Doors Inn was definitely suiting of its name. The old door creaked loudly as Allikye pulled it open. Inside was a worn out red couch, a coffee table, four bookcases stuffed with history books and fables, and an old blue rug. Behind the reception desk was a boy around my age with somewhat long chestnut-colored hair and watery blue eyes. His skin would've been flawless if it weren't for a small scar just under his right eye. He looked up from the book he was reading as we approached.

"Are you here with those crazy redheads?" He asked somewhat sarcastically. I nodded and he handed me a spare key. "Room B12. Allikye here will take ya as I see you've been acquainted already."

The young boy - Allikye - smiled and tugged my hand once again. With a brief nod to the receptionist I followed him up a plight of creaking stairs and down the hall to the farthest room. I fiddled with the rusty key a bit before the lock finally clicked, and when I opened the door I was greeted by the sight of Rosie spanking the living daylights out of Stephanie. I heard a slight giggle from Allikye.

When Rosie noticed us she grabbed Stephanie's ankle and flung her over the side of the bed before confronting us.

"I see punishment went well?" I asked with a smirk.

"Hopefully; I've a way of getting what I want, and I want her to grow up." Rosie scowled and shook her head before give a friendly nod to Allikye.

"This is Allikye." I introduced him, running a hand through his hair. "He lives here in the inn. Allikye, this is my friend Rosie." The boy hid behind me in a mixture of shyness and fear. I wasn't surprised; Rosie was tall for her age and was more on the muscular side than the thin one, and after seeing her with Stephanie, any kid would be scared.

The boy from the reception called Allikye, and at the sound of his name he nodded to us before scurrying down the steps. Rosie gave a good-natured chuckle. "Cute kid. Wonder why he lives here?"

I shrugged and sat down on the side of the bed. "How's sleeping arrangements going to be?" There was only bed in the room and I doubted Rosie spent the extra money on a second room.

"Kiley, Cori, and Serena will take the bed. Cori's tall but Kiley and Serena are small enough to make people think they have a disorder of some sort, so they all should fit."

"What about me? I'm a kid too!" Stephanie moaned. She was on her feet now and rubbing her definitely-red behind. Rosie's blue eyes flashed with a familiar fire.

"I _would _throw you out to sleep in the stables with the mounts, but I'd probably get arrested for child neglect, so you'll be taking the floor. No blankets, no pillows, no sleeping bag, and definitely no ifs, ands, or buts. Do I make myself clear?"

Stephanie opened her mouth, obviously to make either an 'if, and, or but' statement, but was interrupted when Kiley and Lord Shadow came in. My dragon perched himself on his usual spot on my shoulder.

"Did you find the medicine?" I asked him. My dragon frowned.

"They didn't have her exact prescription, but they had some Divinay and Therus. They're both large pills and she'll have to eat something with them to avoid stomach upset, but they're what make up her original pill so it should be fine until we return to Wizard City." I nodded. I had guessed they wouldn't have her pills; they were made specially for her. I was relieved to hear they at least had _something. _

"Is Cori here?" Kiley asked absently, glancing around in barely suppressed concern.

"I thought she went with you?"

"She did," Kiley bit down on her lower lip. "She ran off and I thought she came back this way."

"We haven't seen her." Rosie crossed her arms. She didn't look concerned or even annoyed; Cori running off was expected. I frowned and shook my head, disappointed.

"We'll go find her," I sighed, feeling exasperated as I stood back up. Rosie rolled her eyes as she realized 'we' involved her. Kiley nodded and took my spot on the bed, kicking her white and blue boots off and pulling out a brush. I nodded to Rosie and took the lead out of the room, Lord Shadow flying in between us. "We should check the stables first; she might be with Serena."

"You think Serena's even there still?" Rosie seemed dubious. I shrugged. Serena was a shy and smart young girl - unlike Stephanie - and I doubted she would've ran off without us. We continued on silently once out of the inn and made our way just outside of the village where the stables were located. Serena was leaning back on a pile of hay in between the sleeping bodies of Mellow and Cloud, reading silently to herself.

"Serena," The girl looked up in surprise when I addressed her. "Did Cori pass by here by any chance?" She shook her head. Rosie and I glanced at each other.

"Ya think she's stupid enough to go out alone?" Rosie's voice was laced with annoyance though she was beginning to look concerned for the low-ranker's well being. I opened my mouth to respond, but a dry crackle of thunder interrupted me.

Two storms, not even a week apart, in _Mooshu? _

I found myself jogging out to investigate, and sure enough I was right. Storm clouds were beginning to blanket themselves over the previously clear sky. I felt Rosie's warm breath stream down my neck.

"Storm's here just come outta no where." She snorted. Lord Shadow mumbled something inaudible and glanced at me, eyes like chips of ice. I ignored him and turned to Serena, who was standing just behind me.

"Go to the Rusty Doors Inn, room B12 and stay there. Make sure no one else leaves; we don't want to go searching for anyone else now that it's about to storm." I handed her my spare key as she nodded. The girl went back to grab her book and swiftly made her way out into the streets, lowering her head as the first raindrops began to fall. I exchanged a glance with Rosie, and by silent agreement we pulled our hoods up and jogged out of the stables, leaving the village and the kiddies behind.

* * *

><p>It only took half an hour for the storm to really start up. Powerful gusts of wind tugged at our clothes, making the large raindrops splatter us in the faces. I walked just behind Rosie, steadying her whenever the winds knocked her off balance. It wasn't that I was stronger than her, but I was more more balanced. <em>I guess those years of ballet were good for something after all. <em>

Lord Shadow was curled around my neck, getting whatever protection my flimsy hood could provide. I suddenly wished I had my cloak. I hadn't expected it to storm in the serene world of Mooshu and left it back home. Now my only protection was what my Guardian's robe could provide, and the hood was just for show, not for blocking out rain.

"I reckon the suns setting by now!" I called over the roar of the winds to Rosie, surging forward as my friend stumbled. The warm humidity was slowly fading out, a bone-chilling cold taking its place. Rosie scowled and sprinted into a run, obviously in a rush to find Cori and get out of the wet, but she tripped over a barely-noticeable rock and surged to the ground with the thump. She cursed and struggled to stand up again. I wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Running in a storms never a good idea." I teased as I leaned down to examine her ankle, rubbing my eyes in a fruitless attempt to get rain out of them. I pulled her heel off and probed her ankle gently with a finger. My friends face twisted into a grimace as I poked at a swollen lump. "You sprained your ankle; we need to find shelter. Your in no shape to run around in a storm as strong as this one." Rosie opened her mouth to argue, but after I probed her sharply at the sight of the sprain she simple scowled and allowed me to help her.

It didn't take long for me to find a cave to settle her in. It was much smaller than the one we had stayed at the last storm, but it was enough to shield her from the worst of the storm. After taking a few moments to catch my breath I surged back into the storm, looking for any signs of Cori. Another half hour later of tussling with the storm I found muddy indications of footprints. They lead directly into a large hole in a stone wall close to a waterfall; a kraken den.

Biting my lip I drew my cutlass, using my free hand to emit a soft gray glow to light up the cave walls. It was much deeper than I expected and I was forced to rely on the muddy splotches any creature could've left behind and my own instincts. A few small krakens appeared from behind smaller dens, but upon seeing the Necromatic glow from my hand they quickly retreated. Necromancers weren't treated well at all on Mooshu, not even by the beasts of the world. This time it was to my advantage, but I had no time to relish on that fact. The muddy splotches had faded and after taking every small den in the area I found myself continuing deeper into the cave.

The end of it was a large, cleared out space. Krakens of different sizes and colors were all surrounding something. The tallest one was what was attracting their attention, and he looked to be in battle. I found myself on my toes to observe what was going on. There was a magical duel going on, and the subject of interest wasn't the head kraken at all, but a young, under-ranked Thaumaturge.

The battle ended before I could even spring into the duel circle. I lost all sense and logic and thrust my cutlass into the nearest Kraken before drawing back and pulling out Zaliithar's card. My Wraith took form just as the krakens turned on me. I twirled around their lazy lunges and skidded over ones back to reach my target. Cori was passed out on the far side of the wall, blood spilling out of her head. I snarled and turned to the head Kraken. It was a large dark purple brute, even bigger than the Kraken at Triton, and scars riddled over its body. I gave it no time to form a duel circle. I surged forward and lashed my cutlass out. The kraken nimble jumped back, and looking clearly annoyed he roared and slammed his hand on my chest, making me slide backwards and slam my back against the rocky cave. A searing pain surged through me, but adrenalin was flowing through my veins now and I ducked under his death blow. Just then I saw a flash of gold and spotted Lord Shadow. He was no longer black and purple but completely covered in a gold covering, long, sharp blades coming out of his wrists. The newly formed Dragonblade Dragon flew forward with surprising speed, landing an upwards cut from stomach to chin. The kraken had backed away though, meaning the wound wasn't deadly.

It was enough to slow him down though. He raised a clawed hand and slashed at my pet. The dragon flew upwards out of reach and parried the blow with his blade. I surged back into the fray and slashed at the brutes chest, creating a parallel, much deeper wound to the one Lord Shadow had made. My pet flew down, both swords ready to strike, but he was caught unsuspecting by the tail and flung to the ground, leaving him gasping for breath. In that second of distraction I thrust my blade into the brute's back, stabbing in an upwards motion and feeling the tip penetrate the jaw bone. Blood oozed out of the kraken's mouth as he slumped forward, choking on his own blood in a painful, slow death.

I glanced at Lord Shadow. He was still plated in gold and was getting to his paws, shaking his head and coughing, but he wasn't near death. Content I ran over to Cori. I was relieved to find the bleeding had stopped and that her only wound wasn't deep; a scratch going from the top of her skull to her eyebrow. It wasn't life threatening. Sighing in relief I felt the pain in my back become more prominent as my adrenaline rush eased down. I gently picked up my young friend and nodded to Lord Shadow. Zaliithar was still fighting with the krakens, more coming out of hiding as they saw their clan was being slaughtered. I walked past them towards the cave entrance. Zaliithar was a powerful Wraith, he could handle things here.

_I'll just undo the spell when I get back to the cave._


	7. Dark Clouds

**_EDIT: This chapter is exactly 2, 700 words. Yay for even numbers! Anyways, if your new, we learn more about our receptionist from the inn, and my old readers, isn't this so much better than my originals? XD ENJOY!_ **

**Chapter 6: Dark Clouds**

It was pure luck that the storm had eased off somewhat when we got outside. The rain was still falling in sheets, but the wind had died down to a gentle breeze. I sighed as I shifted Cori in my arms, trying to adjust her to a more comfortable position. Her bad arm was jutting out at an awkward angle in front of me and her dangling head made carrying her a struggle, not to mention she was never on the short side of things. Rain dripped from her hair in brown-red droplets as dried blood slowly began to wash off.

Lord Shadow was panting beside me, the fight clearly taking its toll on him. His gold plates had faded away and his blades had retreated back into skin and muscles, making him look like a new pet right out of the shop rather than a stray who's been fighting for all his life. His ice blue eyes were still as sharp as ever however. He hissed something in his native dragon-tongue as he indicated to a moving shadow in the distance. I took one look, and one look was all it took to be sucked back into memory.

* * *

><p><em>A young girl was in an open grass field, ignoring the pouring rain that swirled and danced around her. the sword she was holding was just as tall as she was, yet whenever she swung it it was precise and powerful. The rain splattered against the blade as she attack the falling drops, her angry tears mingling with the pure drops of water. She was angry, and she knew it all too well.<em>

_The only way for her to rid the hate and anger she was feeling was through action, and the sword she wielded gave her the ability to do just that. It gave her a strange sense of power, of hunger. It was like some sort of magical energy had grabbed a hold of her, something surreal and new. It felt like a connection that was never there, or a family member she never new about. She trusted it, yet its calls were so foreign to her, and completely terrifying in a way. _

_She gave the sword one final swing, and when it had finished its course she found herself staring at the body of a shadowed man. She couldn't see the face, or the clothes of the hair, just the outline. He was calling her name, his voice sounding so far away when he was mere inches away from her. He called her name. _

_'Heather.'_

_He whispered the words._

_'Death is your friend.'_

_And the cycle repeated. As the young girls adrenalin faded out, fear took place. The mans voice rose._

_'Heather.'_

_And again he whispered._

_'Death is your friend.'_

_As second voice rang in her ears though she found herself frozen solid, unable to move, unable to fight and unable to flee. She couldn't see wear the other voice was coming from, but it was shrill and deafening. _

_'I am your shadow. I am your blood. I am your death. Don't run, or I'll give chase. Don't fear, or I'll feed on you. I am your shadow. I am your blood. I am your death.' _

_Then screams sounded, lighting struck the ground in front of her, causing her to stumble and fall, and the shadow was gone. The voices, gone. Then two huddled shapes came into sight, black and white, and the girl found herself running toward them. And in that entire incident she never allowed her sword to fall._

* * *

><p>I was snapped back to reality when I felt a strong hand shake my shoulder. I shook my head and shifted backwards, feeling suddenly dizzy. I relaxed slightly when I noticed it was just the boy from the reception. A mask was covering his mouth, but the sky blue eyes were unmistakable. He held out his arms, and noticing the gesture I gently handed Cori over to him, shaking my head once again. My ears were beginning to ring and there was a burning pain in my back. The memory seemed to have brought things back, or at least made it evermore prominent<p>

"I took the girl - her name was Rosie, right? - back to the inn already." The boy told me, raising his voice as the winds began to pick up. I nodded stupidly, grimacing as thunder crackled in the air. Lord Shadow crept onto my shoulder and pressed his cheek to mine. I half-wondered if he was checking my temperature or just looking for some warmth, but I had no time to linger on the subject. The boy was already running in the direction of the inn and I was forced to sprint in order to catch up to him. I thanked the Titons that he was both tall and strong; there was no chance he would drop Cori.

When we finally got back to the in thirty minutes later both of us were completely soaked through. A couple of wizards - easily distinguishable by their brightly colored robes and wands in their hands - looked at us in both surprise and shock as we rushed upstairs, leaving a trail of rain behind us. Just as the boy had said, Rosie was there, her ankle wrapped in a leather brace and dressed in a simple t-shirt and pants. Kiley was pacing in front of the bed. Stephanie and Serena were no where to be seen.

Upon seeing her unconscious friend, Kiley's eyes widened in fear and concern.

"Is she dead?" She squeaked, her hand raising and resting over her heart. The beat was undoubtedly becoming irregular. I shook my head and gave her what I hoped was a comforting smile.

"No, she's just worn out is all." I told here, giving her a quick one armed hug before turning to the bed. Rosie had sat herself at the end so Cori could have more room. The boy laid her down and examined her head, parting her hair and poking around the gash. I felt an impatient and protective urge to slap his had away. To distract myself I turned to Kiley, who was watching with increasing concern.

"Where are Stephanie and Serena?"

"In the basement." Her voice was shaky. "They wanted to find some games to play." I frowned and nudged her toward the door.

"Go find them and tell them to come back up. We might have some different sleeping plans. Make sure you take your pills and relax a little." I opened the door. Kiley cast one last concerned glance at Cori before walking away. I closed the door softly behind her, sighing.

"What happened?" Rosie asked. She looked far less concerned than what Kiley had been - she _was _more experienced, after all.

"Cori managed to find her way to a kraken den and was the center of attention." I sighed and leaned over the boys shoulder, examining the gash. Some dried blood was still crusting around the edges, but the rain had washed away most of it. The boy waved me away and I reluctantly sat beside Rosie, kicking my soaked shoes off and untangling my ribbon that help my hair up.

"Really? Didn't think we were close to where the krakens lived." Rosie looked genuinely shocked. I shrugged and took off my Guardians Robe. I sighed as the heavy weight on my body was lifted. My undershirt and pants were just made of thin black cloth and was completely drenched, but it was a lot lighter and more comfortable than the thick, high-quality stuff that the cover robe was made of.

"We aren't." The boy spoke for the first time since we got back to the inn. He sat up with a content sigh before directing his attention toward us. "The den we were at used to be a reservation for tritons, but after the water drained out they disappeared on Mooshu. That big kraken you killed thought it'd be good to start his own clan a few months ago. Been causing the villagers trouble since." He smirked and shook his head, as if thinking about something. He tore his cloak off and slumped in the chair in front of us. He was wearing a simple blue and black cloth outfit, completely soaked through. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed as she relaxed into his chair. Rosie cocked her head curiously.

"What's your name? You look awfully familiar." The boy smiled.

"My name's Travis Darkcloud. You might've seen my around in Ravenwood. Sorry for not introducing myself earlier; the inn keeps me busy." Rosie frowned and gave him a suspicious glare.

"What rank and school?"

"Sixty, Conjuration." He answered the questions promptly, not surprised at all by Rosie's bluntness. I guessed that he heard the rumors of the rambunctious Diviner.

"Your Fallon Rosebud Ferrow - or Rosie for short - right?" When she nodded he glanced at me. "And your Heat Shadowsword. That I know I'm sure about."

I nodded absently. I was only keeping one ear on their conversation as I kept my eyes on Cori, looking for any changes, good or bad. Lord Shadow sighed and curled onto my lap, murmuring something as he attempted to get comfortable on my soaked legs. I didn't hear what I said, but there was no mistaking it had something to do with me and relaxing. My back was still incredibly sore and twisting around every five seconds to check up on someone who was obviously okay wasn't helping at all. I frowned and forced myself to focus on the three remaining people in the room. Travis was staring at me with curious eyes.

"Question?" I asked, feeling slightly irritated. _I hate it when people just stare..._

"What was the storm like? The Lightning Gaze?" I winced and focused on Lord Shadow, who had started growling as soon as the question was asked.

"Why ask?" I finally manged to purt out, keeping my voice low as I ran a soothing hand down Lord Shadows back. "It's just as the reports said, and if you're as avid a reader as I presumed you would've read them." Rosie was shifting beside me; the tension was building, and tension always managed to get Rosie into a restless fit. Travis was silent for a long while, his chin resting on his hand as he stared out the window at the pouring rain, deep in thought.

"But _you _were actually there, and if you're really Cyrus Drake's adopted daughter, you'd know a piece of writing based on an event can't be trusted unless it was written by the person who experienced it. Even then writing can't capture emotion the way verbal words can." He finally said, removing his hand and looking at me with a steely blue gaze. "I want to know what the famed Lightning Gaze felt during the storm."

"And just _who _gives you the right to ask her about the most terrifying thing she's had to go through?" Lord Shadow snapped, not even giving me the chance to respond as his growls became increasingly louder and more dangerous. He stood up on wobbly limbs and glared at him. Travis couldn't hold the viscous ice-blue glare and looked back at the window.

"My sister does." His voice was barely audible as he muttered the words. "she died during that storm, and I want to know why you couldn't save her Heat."

I suddenly remembered looking at the Commons billboard, reading an article published by a clan - the Redvines - about one of their own dying during a storm. It didn't say specifically the Lightning Gaze, but Emmaline Darkcloud was definitely her name. And here was her brother, blaming me for her death. I suddenly felt hot with guilt and didn't respond. As it just so happened to be, I didn't need to.

"Do you _really _blame her for your sisters death?" Lord Shadow's voice was pure venom. "You're trying to take out all your grief and anger on _her _because she didn't save your sister? You just said so yourself that you never know something unless you've experienced it. _You_ are stereotyping her as the typical legend who was supposed to save everyone. _She was only seven years old when that storm happened! _She's lucky she managed to keep herself alive as well as Kiley and Cori." My pet was slowly digging his claws into my legs. I knew he wasn't there with me at the storm, but with how protective he was and how dreadfully vicious he could be, he might as well have. I sighed in relief. If Lord Shadow kept this up, Travis might not even survive tonight. At the moment I wasn't going to complain.

"Emma might've been around her!" Travis snapped, his voice quiet. "She could've grabbed her too..."

"Travis," My voice sounded shallow and weak compared to the throaty voice of my dragon, who was still growling though he had settled back down. "Six people died in that storm. I was only seven. I was scared and weak. My head was ringing and my back felt broken after I hit it. The only reason I'm alive and had found Kiley and Cori was because I heard their screams. I saw them first, and I dragged them with me because I didn't want to be alone." I was surprised at how calm and slow I was talking. Travis was taking every word in. "I'm not going into detail about why I was in that storm, but it put me into a half-blind anger. I was running for a long while before the storm hit. I was tired and weak. Even if I had come across anyone else I wouldn't have had the strength to save them." I lowered my eyes to the ground, avoiding the stares my pet and friend were giving me. "I truly am sorry for your loss, Travis, but there was no way I could've saved her, and justice can't be served to a storm unless you challenged the Titons themselves."

Again Travis was silent. I distracted myself by brushing out my hair, pulling at the knots with more force than necessary. Lord Shadow was licking one of his legs much like a cat and Rosie was wrapping what looked like a spell-enhancing wrap around the hilt of her blade. Finally, after a few long moments, he spoke again.

"You're right." He sighed, running his hands through his hair as whatever emotions and questions left seemed to die down. "I'm sorry for blaming you."

"It's instinct." I shrugged as I continued on my hair, keeping my voice quiet. "Malistaire blamed the spiral for the death of his wife, Cyrus blamed his students for his brothers death. Everyone blames something for death when really there's nothing to blame." I wasn't sure if that was the most comforting thing to say, but it was the truth. It was one of the reasons why Necromancers were so poorly treated; they control death. It was easy to blame them for something like that.

If Travis was going to respond, he was interrupted by the door finally opening. Stephanie strutted in followed by Serena and Kiley. Stphanie looked at me, sniffed something about uglyness, and slumped into the chair by the table. Kiley settled herself on one side of Cori while Serena stood there by the door, glancing around nervously. Travis sighed and flashed me an apologetic smile before standing and taking his leave, grabbing his cloak and exiting the room without a word. Rosie groaned and rolled lazily onto the floor, apparently exhausted now that the tension had completely eased up. Lord Shadow looked up at me and broke the silence.

"Did you ever undo your Wraith?"

I grimaced as my pet reminded me. At least Zallithar had a good hunting trip.


	8. Letters to Cyrus: Letter 1

_**EDIT: Shortest of the rewrites so far at 1,632. Yay... it's still longer than the original, which is kinda sad xP A chapter ends when it ends though, and it ended at 1,632. Enjoy! **_

**Chapter 7: Letters to Cyrus: Letter One**

I sighed and grumbled to myself as I twisted around, trying to get comfortable on the hard wood floor. The sharp pain in my lower back hadn't gone away yet, and I doubted that laying on the floor was helping at all. Sighing I finally gave up the hopeless task and sat up, gazing around the room at my sleeping comrades. Rosie was sleeping contentedly to my left, her sharp features barely visible under her thick red hair. Lord Shadow was snoring in his sleep to my right. The poor dragon was exhausted after the fight, and I couldn't blame him. It took a lot of energy to take the Dragonblade form. Kiley, Cori, and Serena were in the bed just as we had planned, their young faces all facing different directions as they wheezed and muttered. Stephanie was splayed out in one of the chairs, he hair brushing the ground and mouth hanging wide open. I was used to Rosie's "gentle" snoring of course, but Stephanie was a whole different story. She sounded like a dying Helephant when _she _slept.

Knowing falling asleep would be no simple task I reached over Lord Shadow and grabbed my bag, pulling out a worn leather book and a pen, flipping through the pages. A lot of them were filled with ballet terms with quick sketches so I always knew what I had to do. The first two years of being in Wizard City I had decided to go into a dance class for something to do. Ballet wasn't especially difficult for me - I was pretty good in fact - but I could never remember certain terms and positions. The three-year class I took I passed in two due to my profuse studying of terms and practicing at least four hours a day. The habit of studying to perfection hadn't faded away until I had officially joined Ravenwood, where Rosie really started to influence me. Then I just studied when necessary, which was perfectly fine when it came to Necromancy.

Some of the other pages were random poems I had written in class. I was and would never be a superb writer, but I always attempted to write poems. I always loved the beautiful imagery that came with them and the emotions captured by them. Whenever I showed them to others though, they were laughed at, or critically criticized by Cyrus, so I kept them to myself.

When I came across the next blank page I shook my pen a little before I started to write.

_Dear Cyrus,_

_((13:09 23, April))_

_How are things back at Wizard City? I was hoping for a chance to relax a little after the clean up was done, but you know how Ambrose is. Always ready to send students out to solve one thing or another. I would've been back by now, but four little kiddies decided to stop by for a quick visit._

_Kiley and Cori were the first two we ran into, fighting a warrior pig. I can't even begin to describe how relieved I was to find that he was an honorable warrior. He had formed a duel circle instead of chopping their heads off. Because they're currently journeymen I'm not completely concerned about them; they can hold out at least for a little bit. Of course, there's no chance they'd win the battle. Last night Cori decided it'd be fun to run off by herself and wandered into a kraken den. She wasn't too badly hurt, but the clan leader dueled her to a battle for enjoyment and beat her (obviously). She has a gash on her head, but it's not too bad though there might be a scar. _

_Then the next two are those two new lovely students of yours, Stephanie and Serena. In all honesty Serena isn't that bad, just really quiet. She seems smart, reading whenever the chance arises. She also loves to tend to the pets and mounts. If it didn't storm last night she might've just slept in the stables with them. _

_And yes, it stormed in Mooshu. Two times in fact. The first time we were forced to hide out in a cave and the second time - which happened last night - we found a village and stayed at the inn. Cori ran off though and we were forced to get soaked nonetheless, we being me and Rosie. Rosie had tripped over a rock and gave herself a pretty nasty sprain. I doubt she's gonna slow down because of that though. In fact, if Cori feels well enough, we'll probably be heading off first thing in the morning at the same brisk pace she set when we left. _

_The receptionist here is named Travis Darkcloud. He's supposedly a rank sixty Conjurer, and I wanted to clarify it with you before believing him. If he really were a wizard, shouldn't he be in Wizard City or helping out with the clean up? Anyways, he had a sister who died during the Lightning Gaze and blamed me for it. That's never happened before, at least not to me. I don't know if anyone has approached you about this kind of thing. It definitely got me thinking though. I mean, I can't be blamed if I was only seven years old, right? I don't know...I feel guilty for some reason. I guess I just need to grow up and move on._

_I guess that's it then. I'll see you when I get back (which will hopefully be very soon now).  
><em>

_~Heat_

_P.S Thanks for the early birthday present though I have no idea what it does. I almost forgot I'm seventeen today (or yesterday to be precise - its past midnight.) _

I frowned at the last sentence. It certainly didn't feel like I was seventeen. _One more yer 'till I'm considered an adult and will be permitted to leave Ravenwood, that is, if I wanted to. _The odd thing about Ravenwood was that students could attend at any age they wanted. Most left once they hit eighteen or completed their two major schools, but then there were others who would attempt to stay until they mastered all the schools. I say 'attempted' because no one has done it yet. At the moment there was no one over twenty-two attending the school.

"Heat? What're you doin' up?" Rosie's voice was slurred as she opened one eye to look at me, a loud yawn escaping her mouth. I shrugged and put my book back in its bag before tossing it to its original place.

"Writing a letter to Cyrus since I can't sleep."

"About?" Rosie sat up fully, glancing at her ankle with a sigh. I frowned.

"My birthday; he got me an early birthday present before we left." I wasn't going to go into too much detail. I always was a bit secretive when it came to letters. Instead I reached into bag's pocket and carefully grabbed the looking-glass, muttering a quick apology to Lord Shadow as he growled when my arm brushed against him. "Got me this weird thing. I don't know what it does yet, but he said his grandfather gave it to him on his death-bed. Doesn't it feel like it has some type of magical quality to it?"

I handed her the Minotaur-shaped contraption. She weighed it in her hand and nodded. "It's odd though; I can't tell what quality it has. It's not like a normal magical enchantment." She handed it back to me and I sighed. I was hoping that her extra experience might identify it, but apparently not.

"I wish I could figure it out." I sighed, stuffing it in my pants pocket so I wouldn't risk waking my pet again.

"You turned seventeen yesterday, right? The twenty-second?" Rosie asked, changing the subject. I nodded. "Wow; time goes by fast."

"Certainly does." I sniggered. "You'll be eighteen soon. Are you going to be leaving the school then or are you gonna wait?"

"I don't know yet." Rosie frowned as she thought. "I might stick around to improve my Theurgy, but after that I might head out and practice on my own."

"Anyone our age leaving?"

"Yeah, I think that Thaumaturge that hangs around with Scarlet is going to be heading back to Dragonspyre, but I'm not sure. She's always been a hot topic when it comes to leavin' the school. Ambitious girl I'll give her that. Probably the best combatant in the Arena." I nodded in agreement. I had never personally met her, but Sapphire was supposedly incredibly smart and powerful. There were rumors that she wanted to return to Dragonspyre when she was a powerful enough wizard to restore the military there, but no one knows for certain what she's planning. Scarlet probably knew, but the black-haired cat hybrid was never one to get along well with others.

"So you don't know what your planning?" I asked my friend. Rosie frowned and shrugged once again.

"Might head back home and help out with the family business, see the folks again. I haven't seen them since I started school. But I'm no Sapphire. I don't have high aspirations."

"Well what about the Arena? You like that don't you?" I was surprised she wasn't making plans on becoming the next Supreme Warlord or Duelmaster. Again she shrugged. I guessed she was tired and just didn't want to worry about her future.

"Alright, well, goodnight Rosie."

"Night."


	9. Forgiving

**_EDIT: I think this is the second largest of the rewrites, but I might be wrong. I probably am, but I'm too lazy to check XD This chapter's 3,288 words long, and in comparison to the originals I'm quite proud of that :D Anyways, do enjoy! x)  
><em>**

**Chapter 8: Forgiving  
><span>**

I knew Rosie would still be the first to wake up despite having a near-broken ankle - it was just in her nature - but no one would've guessed she would be wide awake at the crack of dawn, shuffling around the room and shoving various items into random bags. She nudged both me and Lord Shadow awake, grumbling something inaudible before turning back to her "packing". I exchanged a glance with my pet.

"Why are you so grumpy today?" I finally asked my red-headed friend.

"We're behind schedule." _Well, I should've guessed that_. I frowned and shook my head before standing up straight, stretching my arms above me until I heard a satisfying "pop" in my back. I was relieved the pain had gone down tremendously, but there was still a small burning sensation along my spine. I made a mental note to avoid any physical fights until it had gone away. _Which means I have to cheat in duels. _I grimaced. Cheating was often a sign of cowardice and was only used by the lowliest of wizards, but I found that over the years it was sometimes necessary to do.

I shrugged on my Guardians Robe. It was still wet and weighed heavily on my shoulders, and scowling in annoyance I pulled it back up over my head and tossed it aside. There was no way I'd be able to move at Rosie's pace in a heavy cloth-and-armor outfit. Rosie glanced at me.

"Don't you have something else you can wear?" She asked quietly. I frowned and shuffled through my bag, casting a glance at the bed. All three of the kids were still sound asleep.

"Yeah, but I'll have to take off my under-cloth to wear it." At my response - which sounded stupid even to me - Rosie snorted in amusement.

"You're way too modest for your own good Heat. Growing up with snobbish parents and then being passed on to Cyrus...it almost makes me feel bad for you."

"Only almost?" I snorted halfheartedly. I knew Rosie had always hated my "proper personality", so saying 'it almost makes me feel bad for you' was just another way of saying 'you should've stood up for yourself so you wouldn't be so preppy'.

When she saw me hesitate, Rosie rolled her eyes. "Oh c'mon Heat, we're all girls here. Well, except for Lord Shadow, but I'm sure you're pet has seen you strip at least once."

I rolled my eyes and turned my back to her, reaching into my bag and pulling out my light green and blue Jester's Motley, a pair of matching boots, and a monk-styled hat. Lord Shadow examined the clothes carefully.

"Those don't provide any boosts, do they?" He asked, prodding them with a claw. His speech was slurred and his eyes were heavy; my dragon was _still_ completely exhausted. I ran a hand down his head. He was warm, but not from a fever.

"No, they don't. I just brought them in case something happened to my Guardian's Robe." After a long, hesitant moment I finally pulled my undershirt over my head, feeling hot with embarrassment as I did so. Lord Shadow smirked in amusement and turned away politely. While Rosie was right and I was comfortable changing in front of my pet, it comforted me to know that there was at least one other proper creature in the room.

Just as I was about to pull my robe on, I felt a cold hand rest itself on my back, and unconsciously I flinched back into a fighting stance. Rosie stood behind me with her hands up in an 'I'm unarmed' manner. I relaxed slightly, hiding myself with my robe.

"Why did you do that?" I snapped, glaring at her. I hated being touched, _especially _when I was unaware of it.

"I was curious; there are two lines going down both sides of your back." She lowered her hands. I frowned and pulled the robe on then slipped into my bright green leggings. Rosie raised an eyebrow inquiringly, waiting for me to answer. I sighed.

"They're either wounds from the Lightning Gaze or birthmarks; Sylvia found them on me when they brought me to the hospital."

"But you don't know if they're birthmarks?" Rosie was thoroughly confused, reminding me of how she had never known the life of a rich and noble family, so I explained it to her.

"It's a bit complicated actually. When you're raised in a family that is considered to be 'noble' in the Spiral - specifically Avalon - your parents get to choose if they tell you anything or nothing about you."

"What do you mean?" Rosie's frown deepened. I tried to think up a better explanation.

"Let's just say it's one of those things that's been around for as long as the Spiral itself. A system was set up for high-class families that put the parents in control of the household, basically ruling over everyone, including their own children. And when you rule over something, especially in the Elden times, you could control who knew what, and since parents rule their kids, they have that ability. My parents decided they wanted to keep a lot of things secret, specifically about my birth."

"Sooo...?"

"So I don't know if I have any birthmarks. While I could've tried to look, wearing a corset made it impossible to examine my back. I don't even know if I have any born diseases or illnesses, or if I was born magically mundane."

"But you know the date of your birth?" Rosie looked slightly less confused, but only slightly.

"Yes, mostly because one of the servants accidentally slipped wishing me a 'happy fifth birthday'."

Rosie opened her mouth to ask more questions, then shut it again with a shake of her head, rubbing her temples. Instead she changed the subject. "You got anything that can boost your attacks?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Put it on 'cause we're leaving. Now."

As my friend walked over to the bed and gently shook the kids awake I returned to my bag and pulled out silver-plated armor. Next to my usual outfit, the Celestian armor was the only other thing I had on me that provided a boost. I only had the arm pieces though, and while I could've easily brought the entire suit with me in my magically-enchanted bag, it was always a hassle to put on and slowed me down greatly. The pieces I had didn't provide much - the parts that covered the forearms and upper arms gave a minor Necromancy attack boost, the pauldrons a healing boost, and the gauntlets a slight defense to all schools. As Lord Shadow helped me strap the pieces on I watched as the kids groggily got themselves ready, which didn't take long. The only one who was slacking behind a little was Cori, which was understandable. I was just relieved she only looked tired, not pained.

When everyone was ready and all the things were packed up Rosie lead the way downstairs, her limp hardly slowing her pace down. As we made our way to the lobby, Stephanie fell in beside me. Her eyes were twinkling at the sight of my armor.

"Where'd you get that?" For once her voice wasn't smug, just curious and awestruck, if not a bit jealous. I bit back a smirk.

"I harvested it from a warrior in Celestia. I have the full suit back in Wizard City if you want to see it when we get back?" At this her smug attitude returned, and with a sniff she flipped her hair and muttered a 'no', shoving her way past me. I sighed and shook my head, feeling exasperated. _I guess being polite is a foreign concept to Stephanie. _

In the lobby I sat down in one of the chairs, reading over the titles of books. Travis wasn't at the reception desk, so all I could do was assume that he was still sleeping. Not everyone woke up at Rosie's unnatural hour. My friend, looking annoyed, slumped into the chair in front of me.

"Should I just leave the key and a note on the desk? We need to get moving." Rosie began tapping her foot on the ground, glancing at the doors around the lobby as if wondering why the boy wasn't doing his job. I shrugged.

"Just wait a bit. Maybe he'll be along soon."

"We should get going _now_."

"Will you relax? It's the break of dawn; we got all day to travel." Rosie glared at me, the angry light of impatience glistening in her eyes. Just as she opened her mouth to argue with me, one of the side doors swung open, revealing a drowsy-looking Travis Darkcloud, dressed simply in a white t-shirt and dark blue sweats.

"I had guessed you would be up early even after all the excitement last night." He commented groggily, wiping his eyes and sighing. Rosie shot straight up and quickly made her way toward him, looking agitated. Knowing that the high-ranking Conjurer was in for a good long speech about doing his job, I glanced over at Cori and indicated for her to come over to me. She looked exhausted, but there was the same trickster light shining in her minty green eyes.

"How do you feel?" I asked her, raising my hand to part her hair. The bandaging I had applied had a small red spot on it, but other than that the wound didn't look to have been reopened in any way. She swiped my hand away.

"I'm fine. That kraken had it comin' for attacking me like that." _Yep, same old Cori._

"Why did you run off? You know this place is riddled with spirits and krakens."

"I _didn't _run off. The stupid kraken grabbed me and took me away!" Cori River; a manipulative, defiant fourteen year old Journeyman who somehow was chosen to be a part of the Ice school, and a horrible liar. I glared at her in return.

"Don't lie to me Coritha Jesin River, and if you _ever _run off like that again I'll talk with Ambrose and get your wizardry license taken away."

"You can't do that!" Cori protested, the defiant light in her eyes turning into a blend of anger and fear.

"Oh yes I can. Not only could you have gotten yourself killed you broke the group rules. The first thing all wizards learn is that no one separates from their group, assigned to it or not. It's dangerous, and wizards who continually break this rule can be expelled from Ravenwood - for their own safety. This is, what, your third offense?" Cori glared at me with the same look in her eyes.

"You aren't my mom." Her voice was so quiet I thought I had imagined it, but her lips clearly mouthed the words, and I grabbed her wrist, not once removing my gaze from her.

"But I'm the closest thing you've got, and until Ambrose and Isabella find you a mother, you're stuck with me. And yes, I went to the Headmaster and asked that you be placed in the care of one of the locals."

"You _what?_" Cori's eyes widened and her jaw dropped open in shock. "You-you can't-"

"Heat, get over here!" Rosie's voice broke off her response. I didn't look away from my young friend.

"We'll continue this conversation later." I told her before getting to my feet and walking over to Rosie. I met Travis's gaze for a split second before turning to my friend.

"Spare key." She held out her hand. With a sigh I reminded her that I had given Serena the spare key to get into the room, and after a short, exaggerated scowl of annoyance she called to the shy young girl. The short black-haired Conjurer-to-be hesitantly approached her.

"You still have the key?" I asked her. She nodded and held out the old, rusty key. I thanked her and with a dip of the head Serena turned and walked away without a single word. _Such a quiet girl. _

I handed them over to Travis, who nodded in wordless thanks and put them away in a drawer, scribbling something on a paper. He inspected us with a curious glint in his eyes. "Where are you guys headed anyways?"

"To Ashkye Outpost." Rosie answered his question abruptly. I was surprised she even remembered, but then it _was_ early in the morning, and for one odd reason or another Rosie was always on her A-game at the break of dawn.

"That deserted place, huh? I'm not going to ask why - it's not my business to know when I'm not part of the group - but I do know a shortcut you can take."

Rosie looked dubious at the Conjurers silent offering to help, and after some mild arguing and interrogating, she allowed him to show his 'shortcut'. I knew she only agreed because she felt that we've been delayed long enough, and if Travis knew a faster way to get to our destination, she was willing to risk it.

After he had quickly changed into his wizardry outfit - a dark blue and black vest and Elegant Hat patterned in stars and moons - he called to one of his friends in a _chuchoter _to watch Allikye and we were off.

"How far away is this 'shortcut' of yours?" Rosie asked, still sounding a bit suspicious as we approached the stables. Cloud and Mellow were already up, stomping their feet and prowling around, obviously ready to get going. When they spotted us they immediately flew over to their saddles, their tails wagging in either excitement or impatience. Travis smirked before answering Rosie's question.

"We'll be there by midday at the very latest. You can go from there and you'll be at the outpost in less than a day, that is, if you can avoid anymore distractions." I glanced at Cori as he said this, but her back was turned, talking to Kiley and helping her strap her pack onto the side of Cloud's saddle. Lord Shadow perched himself on my shoulder.

"Did you talk with her?" He asked as if he had read my mind.

"Yeah, but she's the same old usual. I even warned her about breaking group rules." I shrugged. If Cori wanted to get her wizardry rights taken away, then that was her own fault. I walked over to my mount and slung my bag across the back of the saddle, double-checking to make sure it was tightened properly on his back. I felt Cori's hateful gaze rest on me, but I ignored it, patting Cloud on his feathery head and walking over to Rosie and Travis.

"Are you just going to be staying until we reach the shortcut?" Rosie was asking him. He nodded.

"Allikye doesn't like it when I'm gone for too long."

Rosie nodded, and after the kids had mounted Mellow and Cloud, she let Travis lead the way. His pace was almost as fast as Rosie's was - almost. We continued on quietly for a few hours. There were a few water spirits floating about, looking at us as if daring us to disturb them, but they didn't bother to approach. I guessed that since the whole mess with the Onis had been cleared up the spirits weren't as aggressive as before, just wary, and that was completely understandable. When Travis had proclaimed they had reached the shortcut - an old, beaten path going westward - Rosie issued a lunch stop.

I slumped down beside a rock and pulled out the only thing I had: a fruit and jelly sandwich. Rosie had given her lunch to the kiddies, who were practically starving by now and hadn't brought anything for themselves, and was instead nibbling on the leaf of some plant. She was used to working on an empty stomach; all experienced wizards were.

Travis himself had even brought something, of course, it was just an apple. He looked at me for a moment, hesitated, then came over and settled down beside me.

"Again, sorry about last night." He murmured, sounding embarrassed. "I guess I was so caught up in getting my questions answered that I just didn't think clearly." I shrugged.

"Hey, if I had someone close to me die I'd be the same way. Like I said, it's instinct." Travis nodded, a small smile forming on his lips and relief glistening in his eyes.

"You said that's what happened to Malistaire," he mused. "Was it _just _the Spiral he blamed, or did he blame something - or someone - more?"

"What do you mean?"

"Was there any singular thing he blamed for Sylvia's death?"

"You certainly are inquisitive, aren't you?" I chuckled halfheartedly. Talking about my would-be uncle and former professor would probably always be a sensitive topic; I would never hate him like so many others did. Still, I answered his question. "I honestly don't know, but I think he blamed his family, or at least blamed Cyrus."

"Really?" Travis sounded surprised. "I thought most families confided in each other when tragedy struck. That's what happened in my family."

"The Drakes aren't most families, in case you couldn't tell, especially the twins. I don't know exactly _who _Malistaire blamed, but Cyrus was really beating himself up after Sylvia's death, so I just assumed Malistaire blamed him. Of course, her death could've easily shaken him as well."

Travis frowned and leaned back against the rock, deep in thought. I took a final bite of my sandwich and tossed it aside, my appetite lost. Travis remained silent for a few moments before speaking again.

"How old are you?" He asked.

"I turned seventeen yesterday."

"Oh wow," Travis shot up and stared at me in complete shock. "Aren't you a bit young to be Legendary rank?"

"I started when I was nine." I laughed and stuck my tongue out at him. "Jealous?"

"Hardly. Must've been difficult being a wizard at such a young age." I shrugged.

"I certainly wasn't prepared for all the emotional drama, especially the incident with Malistaire, but the actual spell-casting came naturally to me."

"Okay, _now _I'm jealous. It took me _ages _to master Minotaur; Cyrus even thought about dropping me from the class."

I smiled and opened my mouth to respond, but Rosie cut me off. It was time to head out. Travis sighed and stood up, stretching and giving me a friendly smile. "See ya around then, Heat." I nodded, and he disappeared in a cloud of yellow and blue Conjuration symbols. I chuckled silently to myself and stood up, making my way over to Rosie. There was a mischievous glint in her eyes, but she didn't say anything. I felt myself blush as I realized what she was thinking about.

_"I swear if I'm right and you're thinking about **that**, I'm gonna kill you." _I told her in a chuchoter. She simply chuckled and moved out, and with a grunt I followed her onto the old stone path. Some things about Rosie would never change.


	10. Ominous Greetings

**AN: An intense chapter to be sure. A bit rushed? Maybe, but really that's all up to you. I personally like it. At 2,859 words it's probably the biggest change I've made in the rewrites - and most important. Anyways, enough of my pointlessness, ENJOY! **

**Chapter 9: Ominous Greetings  
><strong>

The path Travis had lead us too was obviously old and well-used over the years. At points we relied purely on Rosie's direction and instincts, coming across trees that separated the road into two paths and vines and undergrowth that completely hid the rest of it. Sometimes when the road got too narrow we had to tell the kiddies to jump off the mounts and guide them so they wouldn't get trapped of lost. There just wasn't enough room for a muscle-bound Unicorn who weighed near four hundred pounds and a Gryphon who's wingspan was as large as a Phoenix's. I was lucky that Serena and Kiley were so fond of animals; there were quite a few times where Cloud and Mellow backed away when they started to feel cramped, and I doubted we were even half way through.

"I thought he said it would be quick." Rosie muttered, more to herself than to me as she angrily sliced through foliage with her over-sized Bristleback Blade. Lord Shadow grunted in agreement. While it was nice of him to try and get us to our destination faster by showing us a "shortcut", Rosie was right. If we had just said "no thank you" and went on our way, Rosie probably would've used her superhuman powers and get us to the outpost much more quickly. Rosie seemed to be thinking the same thing. The road came to an abrupt end in a field. An _empty _field. Rosie scowled, stomped her feet a little and sliced off the bud of a flower before addressing us through clenched teeth. "We'll rest here for now."

Stephanie plopped herself down on a rock while Serena and Kiley lead the mounts into the wide open spaces. Both Mellow and Cloud started to squirm as they thought about running and flying in such an open area. Rosie told me to stay with them and went on to scout ahead. I frowned and stayed standing where I was, crossing my arms and glancing around the grassy field. A part of me knew that the outpost would be somewhere nearby, but it was odd. Normally when we went to Mooshu there would be quite a few spirits around, especially on the old roads. There wasn't even a hint of one in the "shortcut".

"Wonder what happened to all the water spirits?" Cori commented, echoing my thoughts aloud. "There were tons back at the forked path we met at. Shouldn't there be some more on old paths like that one or somethin'? Maybe even a couple of krakens and such?"

"Maybe it's so old and dusty everyone thought it was stupid and forgot about it." Stephanie snorted. "It was ugly."

Serena remained silent, but there was an interested glint in her eyes, reminding me once again it was the quiet ones that were the smart ones. Kiley, too, was silent, which I thought was odd. While she certainly wasn't as rambunctious and out there as Cori, she always managed to get a question or her opinion in. She was an inquisitive young girl, so it surprised me she wasn't asking anything.

"Maybe it has something to do with the Onis?" I mused quietly. While they were taken care of a while ago now, it was always a possibility. Besides, clean up was still in progress on Mooshu. We all sat there quietly as we contemplated the reason why there were so little disturbances.

* * *

><p>Rosie cautiously made her way forward. The forest she was in now had an ominous and dark presence, something that Rosie had never experienced before. Of course, she had heard of the strange powers involving Dark Magic, and she was willing to bet that's what made this place eerily silent. She hadn't spotted a single spirit or even a lone warrior since she's entered Travis's shortcut. She frowned and pulled out her sword, feeling suddenly anxious to find out what exactly was going on.<p>

She stopped as she spotted a large, abnormally shaped tree. Its trunk was twisted so it arched over a small patch of white roses. The sight was beautiful and mystifying, but Rosie was an experienced wizard, a fighter. While most would appreciate the beauty of it she knew something wasn't right. Cautiously she approached it, running a hand down the coarse, pale gray bark. It was unusually cold to the touch and sent shivers down her spine. She went on to brush her fingers softly against the rose petals. Same thing. She backed away, and keeping her blade held tightly in hand she reached into her bag and pulled out the quest paper.

It said Bedoier was a Necromancer, and while Rosie didn't know much about the school (Heat may have been borderline Sorcery attitude-wise, but she was very secretive when she wanted to be) she knew there was a large difference between Dark Magic and Necromancy. Sylvia had once said in her lectures that Necromancy was a blend of both Death _and _Life magics, enabling the power to bring back the dead. Dark Magic had no sense of life in it, not even in its summoned creatures. That's what Rosie presumed at least, and considering most of her predictions were correct, she was willing to bet that was the gist of it. _Maybe Bedoier _didn't _leave the school...maybe he was kicked out for pract__icing __the darkest of all magics?_

Rosie sighed and rolled the scroll back up. Dark Magic use was rare to say the least - no one liked it - but it _was_ a possibility no matter how unlikely it seemed. She would have to ask Heat about it when she got back. She moved away from the twisted tree and silently moved on. She still had an outpost to find.

* * *

><p>It wasn't until a few hours later that I heard footsteps again, and suddenly alert I half drew my sword. It was only Rosie, and relieved I sheathed it again. I was starting to get worried; Rosie normally didn't take more than half an hour to find what she was looking for. "Did you find it?"<p>

"Yeah, about one hundred paces north-east. We'll get there by tomorrow." She pointed in the said direction. I cocked my head curiously.

"If it's only one hundred paces, why did it take so long?"

"I had to find an alternate route."

"Why?" At my question Rosie cast a wary glance at the kids, whom were looking at us curiously. Suddenly realizing she didn't want to answer in front of them I called to Lord Shadow and ordered him to watch them. He nodded, noticing the urgency. He flew over to them and lead them back onto the path to find some berries. I turned back to Rosie. "What is it Rosie?"

"I found an oddly twisted tree. It was arching over a single patch of white roses. When I went over to touch it it was freezing cold, as were the flowers. Heat, this place is dangerous. There's no other living creature here, no krakens, no warriors or ninjas. There's not even a single spirit. Doesn't that strike you as odd?"

"Odd, yes, but dangerous?" I frowned as I thought it over. Rosie wouldn't make a fuss about something unless she deemed it serious, and normally her caution was for the right reasons.

"Something just struck me as, well, _ominous _I suppose." Rosie glanced behind her as if something were about to jump out and attack. "I know Ambrose said he left the school and that he was a Necromancer, but if he's lying? What if Bedoier was kicked out because he was using Dark Magic?"

I felt goosebumps form on my arms and neck as she spoke of the forbidden magic and didn't respond.

"Think about it Heat," Rosie pressed. "Ambrose sent two of his best wizards on a supposedly easy task. Surely there could've been someone else to send? I'm sure some wizards on Mooshu need something to do, yet two Legendaries were sent instead."

I frowned and ran a hand through my hair, remembering my teachings. Necromancy and Dark Magic were both _very _different. Not even the boldest of Necromancers would risk casting something that held no life-force in it. It was too risky and the creatures weren't spell-grasped. Any of them would turn on their masters in a heartbeat if it meant pleasing Bloodlust.

"I see your concern Rosie, but...Dark Magic _is _rare. I agree though, it doesn't sound safe no matter the reasons. We'll head northeast when dawn breaks." Rosie's eyes glistened with relief as she nodded, taking a deep breath and settling down on the ground, looking exhausted. I settled down in front of her, looking at her curiously. It seemed more than the ominous presence of the forest was on her mind. I opened my mouth to ask her, but a rustling caught my attention, and a gentle digging of claws in my arm told me the kids were back. I frowned and whispered to Lord Shadow what Rosie had explained. His eyes widened once, but that was it. A part of me wondered if anything ever surprised or scared the dragon.

"All we could find were a couple of berries..." Cori muttered as she stirred them around her bowl with a finger. Her twisted arm jutted out awkwardly in front of her as she tried to get comfortable. Stephanie glanced at it and a cruel, mischievous smile curled the ends of her thin lips. Immediately recognizing the plan behind her evil purple eyes I surged to my feet, but it was too late.

_Crack!_ The sound of bone splintering in half and the earsplitting scream that followed made everyone in the area cringe. Stephanie's hands were wrapped around Cori's thin arm, and while her eyes widened momentarily she was more amused than anything, and she shoved Cori away, rolling on the ground as she laughed her head off. The world suddenly blurred around me as I ran over to my younger friend. She was writhing around on the ground with tears rolling down her cheeks, her left hand clutching her bad arm, her nails digging into the flesh. I slumped to my knees beside her, eyes wide, and I tried to calm her down, running a hand through her hair and murmuring comforting words to her. I lifted her up slightly to rest her head on my lap, pulling her hand away from her arm to examine the break. I grimaced. It looked even worse than before, the elbow jutting out completely in the wrong direction. A moment later I felt Rosie at my side, and when she saw the damage Stephanie caused she pulled out her Theurgy deck and drew a card, using her finger to draw the leafy sign and summoning a creature.

A satyr materialized from a bright green light, his wise old eyes spotting the crippled girl that laid on my lap. He knelt down at my side and examine her arm, and once determining the main breakage point he tapped his staff a few times on the ground. Little glowing vines sprouted out of the ground, stretching slowly towards her arm. The satyr moved his staff in front of me.

"The healing vines need room to sprout." I hesitated. Rosie laid a comforting hand on my shoulder, and slowly I let her pull me away, laying Cori's head gently on the ground. I sat back beside my friend, staring at Cori's young face. Her eyes were shut tight and tears slowly rolled across her cheeks. The healing roots stretched up and brushed gently across her arm, neck, and cheek. Their gentleness seemed to soothe her, her eyes still shut tight but the tears stopping abruptly as she relaxed. The vines wrapped around her arm, glowing brighter and brighter with each second. Finally, after was seemed like a decade, the glowing stopped and the vines retreated back into the soil they came from. Her arm was still badly contorted, but it was back to the way it originally was. I breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Let her rest." The satyr informed us. Rosie nodded and dismissed the spell. I carefully picked up Cori and laid her on the softest looking patch of grass. I took the clip that held her hair up out and put in in my pocket. She needed to be as comfortable as possible. I sighed and stood up, allowing the protective and fearful rush to die down as much as possible.

I was only snapped out of trance when I heart a loud, thundering boom and felt strong, gusty winds blow at my back. Startled I spun around, unsheathing my sword. There was no need though, or at least, it wasn't an immediate threat. Rosie has pulled out her Bristleback Blade, a strong, stormy magic fizzing around it. Stephanie was staring at it wide-eyed, fear glistening in her eyes. I glanced over at Rosie, keeping my cutlass in hand, trying to stay calm as I saw the firey anger in my closest friends eyes. I had seen her this mad before, and it didn't end well for the other person involved. Getting Rosie upset when she was paranoid about something - which I now knew was certain - wasn't a pretty sight to behold. Thankfully, with a long, steadying breath, my friend sheathed her weapon and completely ignored the girl that would've surely been mutilated if Rosie didn't know how to control herself. She turned and walked over to the farthest part of the field, slumping down and resting her head on her knees, he aqua eyes distant as she stared at some far off memory. Lord Shadow nuzzled me, and suddenly I realized I was still holding my weapon. I shivered and sheathed it again. _Was I really that ready to attack my friend...?_

"You're more Necromancer than you realize, Heat." Lord Shadow whispered in my ear as if he head read my mind. I frowned and looked at him. His eyes were glistening sympathetically. "Go talk to the kids. I'll keep an eye on her."

"Thanks..." I muttered, and trying to recompose myself I walked over to Stephanie and pulled her up by her arm. "You aren't hurt, Novice." I spat at her when I saw tears rolling down her eyes. While I was oddly sympathetic with her, there was no way I was going to be kind with her, not after breaking her already-damaged arm. I indicated for the other kids to follow. Kiley and Serena were understandably shocked and terrified at the suddenness of all of it; all of it took under a minute. I lead them back onto the old path we came from, and when we came across an are we could all _somewhat _relax in I told them to sit down.

"W-what just happened?" Kiley's voice was shaky, and I saw her take out a tiny bag that contained her pills. I wrapped an arm comfortingly around her.

"What just happened... that's what being a wizard is about." I turned my head to meet everyone's gaze. "This won't be the first time you see someone crack like Rosie did, or stupidly behave in the way Stephanie did." I glared at the young redhead as I said this, and to my surprise a guilty look crossed her face, and she looked away. Serena was looking at the ground, deep in thought - or was it memory? I frowned and decided to ignore it, turning to Kiley, who undoubtedly felt the whole affect of what unfolded. Not only was Cori her best friend, but she had known Rosie long enough to realize that she had a huge amount of self control. Seeing her blow up like that must've been scary.

"Is that the worst it gets?" Stephanie asked, her voice so quiet I had to lean forward to hear her. I hesitated, unsure what to say. While it was definitely one of the worst, losing someone to death would always be the worst thing to experience. Still, was it right to tell them that they very well may lose their best friends? _The life of a wizard - especially a Necromancer - is a hard one, Heat. You need to be prepared... _Cyrus's words echoed in my mind, and finally I made up my mind.

"No, it's not. Many wizards die every day. You could very well lose your best friend in the coming years." The words that left my mouth were the exact ones Cyrus had told me. Serena and Stephanie glanced at each other, and Kiley snuggled deeper into my chest. All of them had a new light of realization in their eyes. The world of wizardry was finally showing its ugly head.


	11. Growing Up

_**EDIT: 2,309 words...I'm disappointed. Why? Because I feel like these chapters are steadily beginning to shrink. Owell. A chapter ends when it ends. xP I feel it's a bit rushed, and I've no idea why, but anywho, do enjoy!**_

**Chapter 10: Growing Up**

When we returned to the clearing, Lord Shadow was resting on the branch of a tree just above Rosie, who was sorting through her card deck. I guessed she was trying to get her mind off of things by preparing for the coming battle. Cori was still sleeping peacefully where I had laid her. When Rosie looked up and spotted us she glanced at Lord Shadow. Something passed between the two I couldn't catch, and I raised an eyebrow inquiringly. My pet flew over and perched himself on my shoulder.

"She told me what was bugging her, but..."

"But she doesn't want me to know?" I finished off his sentence. When he nodded I let out a sigh and sat myself close to Cori. Lord Shadow curled up in my lap, and I slowly began running my hand across his smooth, warm scales.

"What did you tell them?"

"I told them that it wouldn't be the first time something like this happened, and I told Serena and Stephanie about the Lightning Gaze storm and how it affected Cori and Kiley's health." Lord Shadow grunted in reply, burying his muzzle in my leg.

"Are you okay? All of it happened a bit suddenly. You and 'sudden' don't exactly get along well."

"I'll be fine." I hoped I sounded convincing enough. Even if I were completely alright it took a lot to convince Lord Shadow. Thankfully he didn't press on the subject, just closed his eyes. A few minutes later he was snoring peacefully in my lap. I frowned and glanced up at the sky. _Sleep won't come easily to me tonight, will it?_

* * *

><p>The next morning things were a bit better, but I was right about hardly getting any sleep. Groggily I sat up as I felt Rosie's foot nudge my leg. It was good that Rosie was still getting up at her unnatural hour despite feeling paranoid (Rosie's paranoia <em>never<em> went away overnight). Cori was the last to wake up though she showed no signs of pain. The only thing that made it apparent that she remembered what happened to her was the scathing glare she was giving Stephanie. Surprisingly the redhead looked away. Rosie ordered everyone to pick up, and once everything was packed she lead the way northeast. I drew back a bit, allowing Rosie to have some room to herself. Instead I fell in between the mounts in case any bickering started up. There was none. Kiley and Serena cast awkward glances at each other. It was obvious the lack of fighting between Cori and Stephanie shocked them, especially after the events that unfolded just last night.

"Heat!" Rosie's voice called from the front of the group, and after a moments hesitation I jogged up to her. Her eyes were like chips of ice. "I want you to make Stephanie apologize to Cori."

"_Make _her?" I repeated, dumbfounded. She nodded.

"Cori's been through enough already on this journey, likewise with Kiley and her stressing about Cori. Someone's gonna have to apologize, and since Stephanie flippin' broke her arm, she'll be the one to do it."

"I'll do what I can..." I frowned. Stephanie was a stubborn girl and I wasn't at all sure if I could force her into apologizing. _Then again, she _was _a lot quieter since our talk. Maybe she's finally maturing a bit...? _I doubted it. I frowned and walked alongside Rosie, thinking over ways I might be able to convince the annoying redhead to apologize to Cori. Forcing her certainly wasn't a genuine apology, and knowing Cori it might just spark an even stronger hatred, and we didn't need more bickering between the two. I frowned and shoved the thought aside. I'll decide later what to do about it.

As we traveled on and went deeper into the forest I realized what Rosie meant by 'ominous'. A strong, sinister presence seemed to hang in the air, and shivering I felt my Necromatic energy rise, pulsing through my veins. Rosie was feeling its affects too, little bolts of electric light sparking out from the tips of her fingers. Thankfully the younger, less adept wizards seemed fine. Or at least what could be passed as fine. Rosie squirmed uncomfortably. I thought back to my teachings in Sorcery, recalling what Arthur said about the different energies of the schools. Necromancy was dark and chilling, Thaumaturgy freezing cold, Theurgy refreshing, Pyromancy burning, Conjuration warming, and Divination was shocking. I glanced over at my friend. I remembered the surge of power and electricity that coursed through me the first time Hydra did a storm attack and how much effort it took to control it. Rosie must've been fighting with her own power.

Thankfully as we got closer to our destination the energy slowly began to die down to normal levels, but it left both of us exhausted, and when we reached the outpost thirty minutes later we had to sit down and rest. Rosie slumped down on a tree stump, looking as if she were going to fall over at any moment. Serena and Kiley moved over to a fallen stone pillar, glancing warily over at their best friends, who were still standing at the edge of the forest. Stephanie cast a reluctant, almost scared glance at Cori, but the raven-haired girl completely ignored her, moving over to a pillar on the opposite side of Kiley. I frowned, and sat down in the dirt, not bothering to worry about keeping my dress clean. The energy - while it had died down - was still a freezing fire. It wasn't draining my mana's energy in any way, but I could feel the pool of magical energy swirling around and spreading out into my muscles and veins, not to mention all the secondary Sorcery magicka I had gained in my studies. It was like a mine filled with dangerous, magical bombs ready to erupt at any moment. I shivered and sat cross legged, remembering what Cyrus and Malistaire had said. _Mediation will save you from a magical overload._

I wasn't sure how much time passed as I focused on meditating, but the next thing I knew I felt a hand shake my shoulder. I slowly opened my eyes, and glancing up I saw Stephanie. Her purple eyes glistened with reluctance. "Heat, can I ask you something?"

"O-of course..." I was shocked, one reason being the fact she bothered to call me by my _rea_l nick name, and the other was that she was _asking_ for advice. She hesitantly settled on the ground beside me, using her black and white wand to draw random pictures in the dirt. I let her take as much time as she needed. This was probably the first time she ever felt defeated, and for sure the first time she ever asked for help. I felt a burning gaze on the back of my neck, and glancing back I saw Rosie. She hadn't been meditating like I was; electricity still pulsed from her hands and danced in her eyes. I shifted uncomfortably and looked away. It felt as if Zaliithar was staring at me, not my best friend. Finally, Stephanie spoke.

"I-I want to...to apologize to Cori..." Her voice was low and the words seemed forced, but they were sincere. I immediately relaxed. I wouldn't have to force an apology after all.

"You just don't know how to go about it?" I asked gently, resting a hand on her shoulder. She shrugged, avoiding my gaze. "I get it."

"No you don't..." Stephanie muttered. "You've probably never made a mistake in your life, nothing to apologize for..."

"You wanna bet?" No response, so I continued. "When I was younger I nearly killed one of my best friends." Stephanie's head snapped up, eyes wide.

"Rosie?" She asked, her voice quiet. I gave a small smile and shook my head

"No," I felt a tremor of grief course through me. "She's a girl I studied with often. I don't want to say her name..." _Not in front of you at least. _Tears were inevitable, and crying in front of a snob was never a good idea.

"Is she still around?"

"No, she died during one of my first quests outside of Ravenwood." I took a deep breath, and before she could ask another question I switched to matters at hand. "So why is that that you want to apologize now?"

"All your talk about how hard the life of a wizard was...Rosie's anger and rage...i-it just got me thinking I guess..." If it weren't for their completely different looks, Stephanie and Serena seemed like the same exact person, especially now with Stephanie so..._distant. _

"Well then, just go and apologize." Stephanie looked up again. "You may not like it, and she may not like it, but you two are alike in more ways than one, and you guys aren't exactly ones for soppy apologies. Just do it quickly, rip it off like a bandage, and walk away if she gives the slightest hint of forgiveness. Understand?" Stephanie hesitated, and with a deep breath she nodded, stood, and walked away. I glanced over my shoulder, watching as Stephanie slowly made her way over to Cori, who was studying her notebook. While I couldn't hear them from where I was at, I saw them exchange words. I held my breath. I hoped Cori _at least _picked up the sense of forgiveness from Kiley, otherwise a fight would break out. Cori frowned, and after a few moments of silence she gave a brisk nod, and I saw a look of relief cross Stephanie's face.

I sighed and looked away, about to return to my meditation, when I felt another presence beside me. Lord Shadow was laying down on the warm earth, snorting as he tried to get comfortable. "Don't make yourself feel responsible for another child, Heat," he hissed. "Especially not a brat."

"I'm not, but I had to help, right?" I spat back, feeling annoyed. I wasn't as magically overwhelmed now, but it was still there, and I was getting tired of the interruptions. Lord Shadow snorted and changed the subject, and I found myself thinking Cyrus's favorite word: _typical. _

"Have you had anymore nightmares?"

"Of course I have," I muttered, crossing my legs again and closing my eyes. "They aren't bad, just the usual stuff. Why do you ask?" When Lord Shadow didn't respond I opened my eyes again and glanced at him. His ice blue eyes glistened. I ordered him to answer.

"Kiley..._might _be having nightmares." It felt as if my heart had skipped a beat, my head starting to spin. I suddenly felt nauseated.

"Kiley? Nightmares?" I breathed. I shook my head. "No...Shadow you...you must be mistaken..."

"That's why I said might," Lord Shadow curled up on my lap, rubbing his head against my hand in an effort to comfort me. "She's been as quiet as Serena though, and that's not normal for her. She also looks extremely tired." I glanced back at my snow-colored friend. Her baby blue eyes were much darker than usual and they looked sunken in. Lord Shadow was right; she looked _extremely _tired.

"Is _everyone _having problems?" I groaned, running a hand through my hair. Lord Shadow rested his chin on my knee.

"You have to keep in mind these kids are young and inexperienced," he told me slowly. "This journey was bound to have a lasting affect on them. They're growing older, Heat, and so are you." I sighed and glanced around the area. Cori had moved over next to Kiley, the two friends talking quietly to each other. Their cheeks were no longer chubby and their features - especially Cori's - were becoming sharper. Both of them were turning into beautiful young girls who were finally beginning to understand what their life had in store for them. I moved my gaze over to Rosie. The journey might have had less of an affect on her, but now that I thought about it she was looking more and more adult with each passing day, her arms and shoulders riddled with scars from past battles and her eyes holding the light of an experienced warrior. She would always be known as Wizard City's trouble maker, but she was no longer that mischievous little girl I met nine years ago.

Lord Shadow let out an amused snort. "I'm certainly not as young as I once was." I glanced down at my dragon, surprised.

"What are you talking about, Shadow? I'm sure you aren't _that _old."

"I was fifteen years old when you found me, Heat," he muttered. "By dragon standards I'm well in my hundreds."

"And by dragon standards that's still fairly young."

Lord Shadow snorted and didn't respond, just leaped off my lap and flew over to where Cloud and Meadow were resting. I shook my head and sighed. He was right; everyone was growing up. I glanced over at Kiley. A part of me knew I shouldn't get myself involved - she was going to be adopted eventually - and I shouldn't hold her hand through every problem, but my protective nature got the better of me and slowly I walked over to her. Just as Lord Shadow had said, she had been having nightmares. There was a dark, almost hunted look in her eye, but it wasn't the dream I had expected her to have. If anything, it seemed much, much worse.


	12. Maniacal Laughter

**EDIT: I mean to finish up this lil' journey in this chapter to keep it in line with the old chapters, but for now this will have to do. At 3,312 words, I came to a very fitting ending. I hope some of you are actually reading these rewrites cause I love this chappies ending XD ENJOY!**

**Chapter 11: Maniacal Laughter  
><strong>

"No, it wasn't about the storm..." Kiley murmured when I asked her about her nightmares. A part of me felt a wave of relief, but Kiley still had a nightmare, and whatever it was about it was slowing her down_ tremendously, _not to mention it was hazardous to her health. I frowned and knelt down in front of her, waiting for her to continue. I felt exhausted and drained, but with Rosie's paranoia and Lord Shadow's lack of helpful advice, I was the only one who could help her. Finally, she spoke.

"It was just..._odd. _I was standing I the middle of a forest and something was watching me..." She paused, shifting uncomfortably.

"What was watching you, Kye?"

"I don't know...I didn't see anything..." Kiley glanced behind her as if she expected something to pop out at any moment. "It was dark and really cold. I felt like something was watching me and...and it felt like it was a Wraith or something."

"A Wraith?" I murmured, more to myself than to her. She nodded.

"Professor Wu was saying that Necromatic beings have a dark and icy stare, and that when they watch you it feels like a cold fire is on your back. She said things like that can't be trusted." Her blue eyes opened wide and the look of fear crossed her face. I bit back a sharp retort. From what Rosie told me, Sylvia told the class that Necromancy was just a darker, more solitary form of Theurgy and that it wasn't to be feared. Wu seemed to have different opinions. _Wrong _opinions. I urged Kiley to continue.

"I started running, trying to get away, but with every step it hurt even more and more. Then I came to a run down place..." she glanced around her. "I came here..." There was a terrified light in her eyes and she attempted to shift closer to me. I frowned, resting a hand on her shoulder.

"Kye, just remember nightmares aren't real. There's no way a Necromatic being could be watching you, not unless they've been summoned by their master." I didn't bother to tell her how no good Necromancer would place his full trust in his summoned being; _all _of them had the ability to break their spell-grasp and kill their master. It was the main reason all Necromancers placed such importance on individual strength.

"Is it true though? Necromancy can't be trusted?" I didn't respond. I didn't know _how _to respond. If the Life professor was drilling these ideas into her student's minds, how was I, a Necromancer, supposed to respond convincingly? It was true that most _creatures _couldn't be trusted, but not Necromancers themselves.

"You tell me. I'm a Necromancer, and you trust me, right?" I dared to ask. Kiley looked at me, her blue eyes softening.

"Yes. I trust you, Heat." she leaned forward and briefly gave me a hug, taking a few deep, relaxing breaths before pulling away and walking over to Cori, settling herself close to her friend. I sighed and stood up. _Certainly she's not powerful enough for... _I shook my head, dismissing the thought. I had to be sure. I glanced around, spotting Rosie close to the entrance of the outpost, her bright eyes searching.

"Rosie," I jogged up to her. My friend glanced over at me. "What's the rank most wizards get their visions at?"

"Sometime in their Adept years, unless their naturally powerful, then it's Journeymen. Why?"

"Kiley had a nightmare, and I'm almost certain it was a vision of some type." Rosie visibly flinched. She let out a sigh and leaned against the wall.

"And how can you be sure? She's not exactly powerful."

"I know, but she dreamed about coming here and that something was watching her. She thinks it was some type of Necromatic being. I don't know much about visions, but..."

"But because it was about the opposite school and involved _this _place," she pointed to the main building. "You wanted to be sure." I nodded. Visions were extremely vivid and often involved a wizard's opposite school. They usually told the future, but I've only ever had one vision, and Rosie seemed to be the expert on these things. She tapped her chin as she thought. "It's hard to say if it was a vision or not," she mused quietly. "But we'll keep our guard up nonetheless." I nodded.

"Did you want me to stay and watch the kids when you go to fight?" To my surprise, Rosie shook her head.

"No, have one of your other pets do that. Kiley's little nightmare, vision or not, makes me uncomfortable with this place. I might need your help." As she spoke she glanced sharply around her, one hand wrapping around the hilt of her athame and the other looking ready to grab her main blade at any moment. _Still paranoid, _I thought. I nodded in agreement and took a few steps back. I closed my eyes as I thought about which pet to call to. Mister Ginger, my Storm Snowman, was always my second choice of pet, but he was a bit on the..._wild _side. Tiger, my Wraith, was good at fights, bad with kids. _I guess that leaves Gummy. _My Arctic Serpent was still a young pet, at least compared to the others, but she'd pass for a good babysitter. I breathed in, calling to her, and soon enough a small patch of ice formed on the ground, and with it was Gummy.

"Need ssssomething, Massster?" she asked, dipping her head politely. I smirked. Lord Shadow was the only pet who didn't call me 'master', and it was always funny when the others refused to look at me unprofessionally.

"I need you to play babysitter for me, Gummy. Can you watch the kids while Lord Shadow, Rosie and I complete our quest?" She nodded, her navy-blue, reptilian eyes sparkling. While Lord Shadow always complained about being a babysitter, Gummy loved kids, though she sometimes scared them. I smiled and thanked her before following Rosie over to the main doors. Lord Shadow flew over and perched himself on my shoulder.

"Shouldn't you change back to your Guardians outfit?" he asked me, shifting uncomfortably on the cold plates of my silver armor.

"This should be fine. It's not the best, but right now the Guardians robe would only slow me down." Lord Shadow grunted in response. Rosie glanced over at me.

"Your deck ready?" When I nodded she took a deep breath and opened the large double-doors. They creaked loudly, the sound echoing through the large building, and the musty scent of rotting vegetation and dead bodies suddenly blew into our face. I forced myself not to gag when I spotted the rotting corpse of a pig just a few feet away from us, pulling my mask up over my mouth and nose. Rosie did the same, though her disgust was much less apparent than mine; she was surprisingly good at doing that when she was paranoid. She pulled out her blade and pointed it in front of her, a bluish-purple glow emitting from its tip and illuminating the room as we walked. I pulled out my own sword as Lord Shadow slid off my shoulder, flying between me and Rosie, his eyes as alert as always.

_"Best be careful. No telling where this guy is." _Rosie told me in a _chuchoter_. I gave her the slightest of nods, shifting my cutlass to my sword arm. The outpost had the same eerie feeling as the forest, only our energy levels weren't as high. We continued on deeper into the building, sometimes stepping over dead bodies - some of pigs and goat monks, others of humans - and slicing through thick webs. It was when we came across a small room with light filtering through it that we decided to take a small break. Rosie leaned against the wall with a sigh, pulling her mask down and taking a drink of water. "Any idea where this guy could be?"

"Not a clue, probably deeper in the outpost. He might even be gone by-" Suddenly there was a maniacal laughter echoing through the air, and Rosie and I grew instantly alert, taking fighting stances back-to-back. Rosie was holding her Bristleback Blade with two hands, looking ready to lop off anyone's head and Lord Shadow had his claws out. He hadn't yet taken his Dragonblade form - he only did when the situation was dire - but there was a gold light surrounding him, telling me he was ready to cast the spell at any moment. I myself I had one foot off the ground and my sword out in front of me in a very dance-like position (ballet seemed to take a hold of my fighting style as well). The maniacal laughter echoed again, only this time a figure appeared out of the shadows.

Bedoier was not at all how I imagined him. He was short, about five foot, and incredibly scrawny. His black robes hung about his body loosely and his albino-white face was sunken in. His eyes were a pale pink color and he had cropped pure white hair. I exchanged a glance with Rosie. _"I thought he was supposed to be skilled in hand to hand combat?"_

_"Looks can deceive, Heat. I mean, look at you." _That was true, but still I lowered my one foot and pulled my cutlass closer to my body, moving my free arm toward my stomach area as if the armor were a shield. Bedoeir's lips pulled back into a crooked smile, his teeth a disgusting shade of yellow-black that it almost made Zaliithar's look clean.

"Is aight, purdy ladies," he sniggered, slowly staggering our way. "I ain't gon' hurt chu at all."

"Who says we ain't?" Rosie spat, her grasp tightening around the hilt of her blade, her eyes as dangerous as the weapon she held. The crazed man just rolled his head back and laughed.

"Eryone always said gingahs ain't be kind. Chu ain't no eseption, are ya?" he waggled his finger at Rosie, who rolled her eyes and scowled. Again he laughed, that crooked smile still on his face. I shifted uncomfortably as he turned to me, his fingers pointing at me. "An' dem blondes are jus' preppeh lil' girls is what I been told," I opened my mouth, ready with a sharp retort, when suddenly I see a flash of silver light appear in his hand.

"Rosie! Duel circle, now!" I snapped at my friend. Too late. Bedoeir's hand flashed out, and the next thing I knew blood was dripping into my eyes. A lot. Scowling at the pain that pounded at my face from temple to cheekbone I did my best to brush the dripping blood out of my eyes. My sight was fuzzy, specifically in my right eye, but it wasn't too horribly bad. I shook my head scanned the area. Rosie had engaged the surprisingly agile madman, her very large, very sharp blade swinging around Bedoier's head whenever he got too close. Lord Shadow had yet to join in though his eyes glistened as he waited patiently for a chance to strike. Once again I shook my head, trying to stop the blood from streaming into my eyes, and lifting my cutlass I surged forward. Instead of slashing at Bedoeir though I slammed the tip of it into the ground, sending in bits of magical energy. A duel circle slowly formed, and suddenly the physical attacks of both Rosie and Bedoeir ceased to have any affect, the blade Bedoier aimed for Rosie's neck having no effect as it bounced off of her magical barrier. The madman pouted and stomped his feet as if he were a child whose toy was just taken away.

"You wantsta duel wit magieek huh?" Bedoier huffed, and Rosie's eyes grew dangerously bright, but she didn't reply. Bedoier scowled and made his way over to one side of the duel circle, and a much stronger magical barrier suddenly formed as he found a spot he was content with, a swirling white glow shimmering about him. Rosie and I exchanged a glance before we moved to our spots across from him.

"_At least he's not going to break the circle." _Rosie _chuchotered _to me.

_"Still, heads up. Something about him is...well, odd." _

_"Obviously,"_

I snorted, wiping away more blood. Thankfully because of the duel-circle the dizziness was slowly going away, but I knew as soon as this duel ended I'd have the worst headache of my life. Whenever a magical duel started, all physical injuries and attacks no longer had effect, at least not during the duration of the battle. When all of the mana is gone from one team, the duel ends, and every injury suddenly hits you, like a sledgehammer or a Minotaur's war-axe, not to mention the the extreme exhaustion felt with loss of mana. Bedoeir seemed to notice this. He looked at me and smiled that crooked grin of his.

"Laddies first," he bowed. Rosie nodded to me, and I drew out several cards from my deck. Three traps - Feint, Death Trap, and Curse - were the first things to catch my attention, along with a Vampire. I snorted and nodded to Rosie, indicating it was her move. _Never cast a trap on the first round.. _Malistaire's teachings echoed in my mind. Rosie, however, was on the offensive right off the back. She drew a Storm insignia, the dark purple cloud sparking with bright yellow bolts of electricity. Suddenly it snapped back to her sword, and Rosie went center field. Her smile was almost as insane as Bedoeir's as she surged forward with her sword-spell, the large weapon crashing heavily against the barrier. While such a simple spell could in no way damage the barrier, it shook it so much that Bedoeir staggered and fell to his knees. Rosie chuckled slightly and returned to her duel mark. Bedoeir made a sort of growling-snorting noise as he stood back up. His eyes were a brighter, angrier red than before. He drew out a short black branch I assumed was his wand and drew a Necromancy symbol. Unlike most symbols, which has a white glow around them, his was simply a stale jet-black. He let out that same old maniacal laugh and drew his card.

Rosie and I gaped as a Wraith materialized from a black light, his glaive resting comfortably in his hands. Lord Shadow let out an annoyed as he let out a laugh not too different from Bedoeir's and shot forward with unimaginable speed, the endpoint of his weapon easily piercing through Rosie's magical barrier. If the redhead hadn't been used to wielding large swords, her block would've been too slow and the blade would've gone straight through her heart.

"Cheater!" Rosie snarled at the Wraith though I knew it was Bedoeir she was talking to. She rooted herself more firmly to the ground before thrusting her blade up with tremendous force, her power overwhelming that of the undead creature and slicing at his head. The Wraith faded away in a split second. I felt as if my heart skipped a few beats. _An enemy this powerful and cheating his spells into the duel..._

"_Rosie," _I _chuchotered _to my now-fuming friend, "_We need to cheat if we wanna get this guy."_

_"You know cheating is against the rules Heat!" _

_"I know, but right now Bartleby is more important than some old code! We don't have to cheat the magic barrier, just the spells." _Rosie was silent for a few long, agonizing moments.

_"Alright, cheat the spells. I don't feel comfortable with this though." _I wasn't comfortable either, but I had cheated enough times to get over the feeling. I took a deep breath and delicately placed my finger on my Scarecrow spell, pushing it slowly until it was outside the magic barrier. As soon as it began to fall, no longer supported by the magic the barrier provided, I drew my Necromancy symbol and from a dark mist a few wooden posts rose out of the ground, along with the pumpkin headed ghost. Bedoeir's insane and evil smile vanished in an instant. The Scarecrow let out an ear-splitting scream loud enough to rival that of a banshee and a very light blue, almost white, force came out of his carved face. The energy sucked away at Bedoeir's mana, and if I had done the full extent of the cheat, it would've been his life. Again Bedoeir stumbled at the sudden lack of energy, and finally, when the energy of the spell seemed to fade, the Scarecrow turned to me and sent the energy to my barrier. A very faint white light glistened around me as I felt my mana replenish, bringing back any magic it took to cast the spell. I felt the slightest smile curl one corner of my lip. As bad as it sounded, it felt good to be such an distrustful opponent. Lord Shadow cast me one of his many icy, disapproving glances, but I ignored him. _What's done is done Shadow. _If Rosie did as I advised and kept one of her more powerful Storm spells, this battle would be won within the next round.

And it was. Rosie drew her card, doing the same technique as I did, and her Storm Lord we affectionately nick named Zeus came down from billowing gray clouds into a swamp of thick, blinding white fog. His eyes sparked with purple lightning as he raised a powerful fist in the air and created a lightning bolt, flinging it down on Bedoeir's barrier. As soon as it crashed down a swirling surge of electricity sparked around it, the force of the thousand pulses crushing it. The barrier splintered away, and the spell vanished completely, leaving Bedoeir panting like a dog as he fell to his hands and knees. As the duel circle slowly faded away, Rosie and I quickly made our way over to him. My best friend grabbed him roughly by the shoulder, pulling one of his arms tightly behind his back and keeping her one free hand on his head. She had sheathed her weapon before doing her cheat so she could do it more effectively, and Bedoeir looked all but happy about it. _"_Chu cheatahs!"

"We cheated because _you _cheated." Rosie snarled in his ear. She glanced uncomfortably at me. I knew that, along with her still-lasting paranoia, she was extremely uncomfortable with breaking the Divine Code. Every wizard was considering it was the oldest, most pure set of rules for a wizard to follow, but in the end we had to do what must be done. Suddenly my head pounded with an immense pain, and a rush of blood poured into my eye. I felt myself stumble forward, groaning. Lord Shadow surged forward, using his small body and flying abilities to keep me standing. Painfully I raised a shaky hand to stroke my cut, but all I could feel was a wet pool of suppressed blood. Rosie's voice was a blur as I felt felt arms wrap around me, slightly carrying me as they rushed out. At least I thought they were rushing. Time suddenly seemed to blur, and the last thing I heard was a maniacal laughter.


	13. Finding the Recipe

_**EDIT: I am...disappointed in this for some reason. It's one of those things where you go "It's good, but there's something...missing". I don't know, you be the judge. I'm just the writer seeking advice xP. This chapter is the end of the journey (finally), which means THESE REWRITES ARE ALMOST DONE FINALLY! :D Can't WAIT to actually continue with this story, it had been FAR too long. Maybe I can even finish rewrites before LG's second birthday and continue then *starts planning*. Anyways do ENJOY! **_

_**Disclaimer (since I've'nt done one in so long): I do NOT own Wizard 101. Kingsisle owns everything about it except my OCs, plotlines, and my own imagined ideas. **_

_**WARNING: There is ONE swear word. I doubt anyone cares, but just in case you do, here's a warning.**_

**Chapter 12: Finding the Recipe**

The first thing I noticed was a pounding ache in my head, a throbbing pain that almost made me black out again. The next thing was the soft grass beneath me, the individual blades gently rubbing my arms and hands as I attempted to grab it. Then there was a strange sensation running along my stomach, and after a few moments of just laying there, wondering what it could be, I realized with a jolt something was wrapping _around _me. With a sudden rush of fear and adrenalin I shot up, instinctively using my athame to slice at whatever had grabbed me. A few vines withered away with black smoke as I poured my Necromancy into the attack. They were healing vines - they deteriorated too quickly to be regular ones - and groaning I laid back down.

"Way for a wake-up call Heat," Rosie's voice was filled with barely suppressed amusement as she moved over to look at me. I ignored her, instead pulling my hand up to brush where the scratch had been. There's was the slightest hint of some scarring, but other than that it had been completely healed. It stretched from my temple to just past my hairline, so it wouldn't be noticeable. At least I hoped it wouldn't.

"Did you interrogate him about the recipe yet?" I asked groggily, running a hand through my hair as my headache raged on. Rosie shook her head.

"Not yet. Wanted you to join in since your glare works _tremendously _well." I rolled my eyes as she said this, sitting back up though taking much more care in my movements. It was at that moment that I heard footsteps rush over to me and felt four arms suddenly wrap around me at once, almost making me fall back over. Kiley and Cori had obviously been very worried. Groaning I gently shoved them off me. While it felt nice they cared so much for me, the needed to learn I wasn't always going to be there for them, not to mention a small little scratch across the temple was no where near as deadly as some other wounds.

"We were so worried!" Kiley squeaked, the relief clear in her sky blue eyes. Cori said nothing, but it was obvious what she was thinking the same by the smile on her face. I opened my mouth to respond, but a scaly body wrapping around my neck and the sound of more footsteps interrupted me. Stephanie and Serena approached me though they didn't say anything. Stephanie's smug look had returned, though behind her mask of bitterness I detected at least some concern. She wasn't back to her full self yet... thankfully. Serena on the other hand seemed completely devoid of any possible worry, just the same old inquiring curiosity. I ignored both of them and turned back to Rosie, running a few fingers along Lord Shadow's slim neck as he nudged my scratch.

"Where is he?" She jerked her head in the direction of a large oak tree. Bedoeir's emaciated body was wrapped tightly around its trunk, his insane smile still planted firmly on his face despite the sun shining right onto his sensitive albino skin, which was turning a pale pink color. Rosie held out her hand, and grabbing it she helped me to my feet. I groaned as my head continued to ache, my brain feeling like it had just suffered a blow from a Minotaur. Rosie glanced at me, as if telling me that if I was hurting I should sit back down.

_"I'm fine, Rose. This isn't the worst wound I've ever had." _I told her in a chuchoter.

_"Even so you're not exactly as strong as other wizards. You bruise and bleed too easily. I'm surprised you haven't broken any bones yet... no offense of course."_

_"None taken..."_ I sighed and focused on the malnourished man who was now just a few inches away from me. He looked up and rolled his head to the side, reminding me of a puppet.

"Good ta see dat lil boo-boo isn't gon' ruin chu purdy face," Bedoeir chuckled, licking his lips. I heard Lord Shadow's half-annoyed, half-disgusted snarl in my ear as he muttered something in his native tongue. I'm sure he only felt half as disgusted as I did. _The hideous albino's Cyrus's age and he's flirting with me..._

Rosie had casually taken out her athame, fiddling around with it in her hands. I smirked, recognizing her familiar tactics with ease. She always pulled out her athame when she interrogated someone, and if the sight of the curved obsidian blade (which was poisoned, by the way) wasn't enough to terrify her victim into speaking, then she'd move onto her _very _vivid and malicious descriptions of torture she could use. More than a few wizards often questioned her technique. It was, after all, not as settle as the rest. Even so, it worked tremendously well on most people. Bedoeir was, unfortunately for him, "most" people.

* * *

><p>"Congratulations Rosie; I have <em>never <em>seen Lord Shadow laugh like that!" I sniggered as we walked our way the forest, trying to catch my breath. Lord Shadow was still gasping for air after his little laugh attack, sometimes slipping off my silver-plated pauldrons as he tried to sit still. Rosie laughed and reached over, patting my dragon on the back.

"Sometimes I think your dragon should be mine with how much he loves torture," my red-headed friend chuckled, scratching him behind his horns.

"Honestly Rosie," Lord Shadow snorted as he fought back his laughter, curling himself around my neck as he nearly slid off my shoulder again. "I think that was the best one yet. I knew you could get cruel, but not _that _cruel,"

That much was true, and smirking I scratched my pet underneath his chin. Lord Shadow's sense of humor, to say the least, dark. Every time Rosie put someone through her verbal torture, Lord Shadow would be insanely amused by it, and the more sadistic she got the more likely he was to burst up laughing. With Bedoeir, it took more than Rosie's usual tactics. This time she went to a whole new level I didn't even know she could go to. She had just sort of became an insane, mentally ill person. All it took for her to reach that level was some disgustingly vivid descriptions, a slight change from a beautiful, raspy voice to a high-pitched shaky one, and an obsession of symmetry.

"Did you see his little pee stain on his trousers?" Lord Shadow was still forcing himself not to laugh, a few little chuckles escaping his mouth.

"Honestly I think that came from Heat's special lil' glare she gave just as things started getting descriptive," my friend winked at me. "Your glare mixed with an insane smile is perfect for any torture."

"Why's my glare so effective, at least, according to you that is?" I always thought it was odd how my glare could be so threatening.

"It's the color, Heat," Lord Shadow nuzzled my neck as he finally managed to calm down. "They're near luminescent they're so bright, and when you're really mad or passionate it's almost like lightning is crackling through them."

"Your glare is near Halston's level,"

"I don't even know what that is," I laughed. It was hard to imagine the eccentric frog - who was a Diviner and inventor extraordinaire - in a bad mood. _Though, I always hear about how many times he's managed to make Scarlet look away, and that's saying something..._

_"_Well, let me explain..." Rosie's voice trailed off, and confused I followed her gaze, seeing what was probably the most mystifying piece of nature I ever saw. It was a pale-grey bark tree with bright green leaves, twisting over a small patch of snow white roses. It was shockingly beautiful. To my surprise, Rosie shivered. "This was the place I warned you guys about..." She was getting paranoid again, I realized with a jolt, her eyes widening slightly as she haphazardly reach back for her blade. "Are you sure this was the place...?"

"I'm sure," I murmured, pulling out a slip of paper from my bag. "Bedoeir told us we needed the petals of Fleur Grace and the sap of Greyston. I even sent a _chuchoter _to Cyrus to research the Blood of Paix, and he wasn't lying."

"But are you _sure _it's this place?" Rosie's sword was clutched tightly in her hands, her eyes wide as she looked about her. I frowned a drew a small silvery-white dagger, little sparks of Ice magic sparking from its tips.

"Only one way to find out..." I murmured. The dagger I had was a cheap one - only fifty gold pieces - but if this these were right plants then the Ice magic it was enchanted with would absorb the energy they gave off. If they weren't, then the dagger would shatter. I took a deep breath and slowly approached the tree, reaching out my fingers to stroke the coarse, yet soft bark. It was as cold as ice and there was something...odd. I shivered and pulled my hand away, placing the tip of the dagger on the odd tree.

A startling screech rang through the air. Rosie jumped and let out a curse of Marleybonian curse words, staring wide eyed about her. I focused on the dagger. A stream of icy light blue absorbed itself into the sharp weapon, but it didn't shatter, and I forced myself to relax as much as possible. I moved onto the roses. Another screech rang in the air, and a darker blue substance was absorbed. I shivered again and pulled away from the strange plants, pulling out my cutlass. Lord Shadow's scaly body wound around my neck, a low, uncertain growl rumbling in his throat.

"I don't like this Heat," he muttered. "It's way too easy, and something about this makes me think..." His sentence ended in another uncertain growl, along with mutterings in his native tongue. He was just as paranoid as Rosie was, and I couldn't blame him. I quickly grabbed a rose and stabbed the dagger into the tree, twisting until sap began to pour out of its wound. I scarped it up and put just enough into the flask for it to be usable before turning away, walking over to Rosie and resting my free hand on her shoulder.

"Let's go, before something happens," I muttered, my hand clutching tightly at my cutlass and Lord Shadow shoved the flask and rose into my bag, obviously not caring of either were to be damaged. Rosie, without turning to look at me, nodded and lead the way, her large sword looking to slash anything that dared to move. There was another shriek, only this time it was much, much closer. Rosie cursed again, stopping. Lord Shadow slithered off my shoulders, two long, black blades twice the size of his body beginning to slide out of his scaly wrists, though he'd yet to become a Dragonblade. I pulled out my athame, and while it hardly passed to be a sufficient stand-alone weapon, a good dose of Necromatic magika made it nearly as deadly as Deadlock's Cutlass. A silvery-white and black flame wrapped around the obsidian blade.

Everything was eerily quiet. Our breathing was slow, though I knew all of us was feeling the adrenalin. At first there was absolutely nothing. There was sudden flash of black and silver, and Lord Shadow and I surged back. Rosie snarled and stood her ground, crouching into her usual fighting stance with two hands clasping her sword. The paranoia in her aqua eyes suddenly seemed to vanish as she realized the impending attack. I felt the palms of my hands begin to sweat. I lowered myself to the ground, hiding myself behind the undergrowth.

"_Shadow," _I sent a _chuchoter_ to my pet. "_Prenez mon tablier du sort et tirez Wraith,"_ Lord Shadow's ice blue eyes twinkled for a moment before he nodded, slinking over to my shoulder and pulling my deck out from my belt, drawing Zaliithar's card. _"Cast when I say," _

It was a big risk having my pet cast a spell - moreover one of my own - when we weren't inside a duel. Zaliithar was in my spell-grasp, not Shadow's, and there was always the chance that by being summoned by someone other than me Zaliithar would break that grasp and be released into the Spiral without any sort of leash. Lord Shadow was a stubborn and mentally strong pet, though. While he may not seem it with his lack of boosts and spells, he was the most magically inclined pet I knew. I trusted him to form a leash of some type by his own means, and a part of me knew Zaliithar wouldn't dare disobey the will of Bloodlust, and as far as I knew that "will" was to be my Servant. At least I hoped that was how it was. Everything about Bloodlust, except for the name and Necromatic background, was a mystery to me.

The darkness flashed by again, only this time it struck.

"Shit," Rosie spat, just barely blocking the scythe of the Wraith. I felt my athame begin to burn in my hand, the Necromancy increasing in power as I watched the battle. Rosie wasn't fast, but she was strong. The Wraith swung his scythe at her side only for it to meet her over-sized Grizzleheim-made blade. Rosie tilted her weapon upwards, using the strength of her right arm to catch the Wraith off balance before surging with an upward thrust. The Wraith leaned back with amazing speed before spinning, attempting to lop off her head. Rosie ducked just in time, a few strands of velvety red hair falling to the ground at the near-hit. Content that Rosie had the upper hand of the battle - at least for the time being - I found myself examining the Wraith.

Unlike Zaliithar, this Wraith's skin was pearly white and smooth, and his teeth were merely mustard yellow rather than blackened ones. A part of me wondered if it was simply Bedoier in disguise, but when I caught a glimpse behind the hood I saw two gaping holes. He was a Wraith, and a very poor one at that.

_Skreth, _I thought, suddenly understanding why Zaliithar found this being of Necromancy so pitifully weak. For one he was dead yet somehow cared about his hygiene, and upon closer inspection I realized he was using none of his magic, just his poorly kept scythe, telling me he really was untrained in Bloodlust. If he were trained like Zaliithar apparently was, he might've actually been a challenge for Rosie. My friend glanced over in my direction.

_"You gonna help or not?" _She _chuchotered _to me, eyes losing the excitement they had at the prospect of battle. I sighed as I looked for an opening. Skreth moved to and fro with his open attacks, clearly not thinking about his defense. I found myself sheathing my two weapons and taking my spell deck from Lord Shadow, who looked at me in confusion.

_"Keep the Wraith in hand. Once we get the scythe away from him, my creature should send him back to where he came,"_

"_B__ent u zeker van een Wraith kan veroordelen andere Wraith?"_ My dragon asked if such a thing were possible, his native tongue sounding odd in my ears as I deciphered his words (he has yet to master Civil tongue when it came to speaking through chuchoters).

_"I should hope so..."_ I responded, pulling out my Spectral Blast card. My dragon huffed though said nothing in reply. Slowly I stood from my hiding area, levitating the card in the air. Muttering the words '_cast the auras of the Three' _in Ancient Celestian - which wasn't necessary but a good way to practice the language - the card sparked a deep orange light before three spheres of Storm, Ice, and Fire energy formed around me, waiting for their command. I raised my hand, and the Ice spectral struck Skreth's shoulder, unbalancing him just enough for him to tear away from Rosie, frost glistening where it had struck. I snapped my fingers, then there went the Fire spectral, catching the bottom of the the Wraith's black robe aflame. He shrieked in fury, staring to head toward me though he was slowed greatly by the flames. I smirked, and with a flick of the wrist the Storm spectral clashed into his chest, bolts of purple and yellow lightning bolts sparking in a small explosion of light. Skreth was thrown back a good ways, tumbling over and over, his scythe knocked out of his hands. I nodded to Lord Shadow, and on the silent command my dragon cast Zaliithar. As the Wraith materialized, a barely visible stream of gold wrapped around his neck. _A Dragonblade leash, _I thought, nodding my head in approval.

My usual summoning stared in the direction of Lord Shadow, a scowl clear on his dry, cracked face, but he didn't do or say anything in protest. Instead he turned around and aimed his glaive at Skreth. A silent exchange seemed to happen between the two, a pleading one on Skreth's side and an outraged one on Zaliithar's. My creature struck down, the blade embedding itself in the back of Skreth's bloodless skull. There was a loud crunching sound, and as Zaliithar calmly pulled away Skreth let out an ear-pierceing wail. A black, liquid-like substance poured out of Skreth's mouth and eyes sockets as he was sent back to the Dark Realm, no longer held by spell-grasp. Rosie visibly cringed and looked away. Even Lord Shadow seemed startled by the liquid Necromancy that poured out of the once-again-dying Wraith. I had seen it happen twice before, though, and forced myself to look calm though inside I was fighting back the need to retch. Zaliithar glanced over at me, and though I couldn't see his face clearly I knew what he was thinking.

_You should have left me alone to finish him. _

As soon as the Wraith had gone completely, Lord Shadow dismissed the spell and returned the card to me. He looked tired, but not as overly drained as when we invaded the Kraken den. "I never realized just how powerful your Wraith was. I'm surprised he didn't break my leash," My pet's eyes glistened with unasked questions, one of which I imagined was 'why would a Wraith feel so loyal as to stay with their Master'. I ignored him and turned to Rosie. Other than her normally nice, even layers of hair was off, she looked uninjured and the battle seemed to smack some of her paranoia out.

"I'm almost positive that Wraith was Bedoier's," she told me, the paranoid light vanished from her eyes and replaced by her normal alert light. "Let's go, before he sends something else after us,"

* * *

><p>"Ch-ch-chu defeated ma Wraith?" Bedoeir stammered, a frightened look in his eyes.<p>

"And sent him back to where he came," Rosie's eyes were lit up with annoyance as she cut the rope binding him to the tree, reusing it as a binding for his hands, using her expert knot work to make sure he wouldn't be able to cast spells. I was leaning against a tree close to where we previously came in from, running my fingers along my newly acquired scar on my head as I thought. Skreth had obviously been sent back to the Dark Realm, but what would happen there? Would he be claimed and even lowlier Wraith unable to be bound to another Master and left to rot, or go through vicious training to become a much better, much stronger Wraith? Probably the latter, I guessed. I doubted anything called 'Bloodlust' would be merciful. I assumed it was a miracle they even permitted Skreth to become spell-grasped to Bedoeir.

"Heat," I was snapped back into reality by Kiley's soft voice. "Are we going home now?"

"Yes," I murmured, running a hand through her soft light and smiling gently. "We're going home.

_**AN: Here are some translations, via google translate (so accurate right?):**_

**"****Prenez mon tablier du sort et tirez Wraith." (French) - "Grab my spell deck and pull out Wraith."  
><strong>

**"Bent u zeker van een Wraith kan veroordelen andere Wraith?" (Dutch) - "Are you sure you can condemn a Wraith with another Wraith?"**

_**And in case I didn't clarify it:**_

**Paix (French) - Peace (so in the story it's "Blood of Peace")**


	14. Reporting to the Ravenwood Ball?

_**EDIT: Blech. Just blech. I forced myself to write when I'm unmotivated and I get...this. Length wise it's great - 3,169 words - but the overall quality of it SUCKS. I cannot do light-hearted. Oh well. That's how writing goes. ENJOY!**_

**Chapter 13: Reporting...to the Ravenwood Ball?**

As soon as everything was packed and Bedoier was triple-checked to make sure his binding was tight enough so there wouldn't be any surprise attacks, Rosie and I ported everyone back to our Marked spot by the Spiral Door. I was relieved that not only were we going home, but everything was back to normal. Rosie was no longer so paranoid she would trip over her feet when a few leaves rustled in the wind. Cori and Stephanie had started bickering again, though with considerably less fire. Kiley was still trying to get them to make amends and Serena continued to be the shy little girl we first met.

Rosie wasted no time in getting us back home, tapping the door with the tip of her sword and whispering 'Wizard City'. The door opened, and together Rosie and I shoved Bedoier in first, the duct tape Rosie had kindly applied to his mouth making whatever outburst he was going to say a simple mumbling. My redheaded friend followed him in, and with a final glance around Mooshu Lord Shadow and I went in last. There was the familiar swirling aurora of colors ranging from white to red to blue, something that always mystified me in some way. In the blink of an eye, however, I was in a large, simple room that composed the World Tree. I felt a small smile curl the ends of my lips, unconsciously reaching up and running my fingers along Lord Shadow's muzzle. _We're finally back home._

The dark brown wood walls stretched high above our head, fading into a plume of deep forest green leaves that could only be found on Bartleby's branches. A few rugs of the same color were laid out evenly about the room, along with a few much smaller trees, their leaves blowing gently with the breeze. I glanced over at Rosie, who was talking to one of the nearby wizards, a Grandmaster Sorcerer if I remembered. They exchanged a few words before he nodded, coming over and taking Bedoier roughly by the arm and taking him outside the world tree to what I assumed would be a guard tower.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to that," Cori muttered beside me, still rubbing her eyes as the dizziness slowly went away.

"You will once you travel through it more _when you're older,_" I told her sternly without turning to look at her. I was still upset with them that they decided to tag along; we would've been back home days ago - maybe even in time for my birthday - if they had just stayed home

"Your still mad at us about that?" Cori gaped at me, apparently thinking that I had forgotten my anger.

"Yes!" I snapped, turning on her. "You know how dangerous Mooshu has been of late, and yet you still decided to come along for the ride, even breaking group rules! Now, take the rest of the kids and go find out what your missing in class,"

"But-"

"No buts Corthina! You're behind enough as it is! Now go!"

Muttering quietly to herself Cori turned away from me and walked angrily out of the room. Kiley, with a quick, apologetic glance at me, quickly limped her way after her. Stephanie and Serena exchanged a glance before they too followed the duo. Rosie, who was chuckling beside me the whole time, leaned on my shoulder.

"You always hold a grudge," she commented cheekily, though there was still a sense of seriousness behind her tone. "Don't you ever just let it go?"

"Nope," I shrugged. I always assumed I had just taken the 'holding a grudge' factor from Cyrus. Rosie sniggered as if she had read my thoughts before leading the way out the door. I exchanged a glance with Lord Shadow before following her.

"Are you gonna stop in and tell Cyrus you're here?" Rosie asked as we passed the Myth school. I peered into the window, spotting a very mad Cyrus and two very embarrassed and outraged girls.

"I'll wait until dinner," I decided, not wanting to get in the middle of the obviously effective scolding Cyrus was giving them.

"D'you think he has something special planned since you weren't here for your birthday, or was it gonna be you cooking again?"

I laughed. "I'll probably be the one cooking. Cyrus hasn't made anything special for me since the first day of Ravenwood."Our conversation ended as we approached the door to Ambrose's.

"You just wanna wait out here while I report?" Rosie asked. "It shouldn't take more than a minute to give him the flask and fill him in on the details,"

"I'll wait." Rosie nodded and walked in, the door slamming shut behind her. I sighed and made my way over to our usual lamppost hangout, leaning against the pole. Lord Shadow slithered off my shoulder and landed on the grass, stretching out in his usual cat-like way. As he rolled around a bit, trying to loosen his muscles, I examined the clearing. There were a lot more wizards up and about than there had been when we first left, telling me clean-up was going well. A few guys were leaning against the tree, talking about their latest PvP tournament. A couple sat on the lakeside with their feet in the water, laughing about one thing or another. A few apprentices scurried into Ravenwood as their afternoon classes started and a Novice was asking around for directions. Now that the Malistaire crisis had passed, everything was just like the old days. _Well, almost the old days._

The only thing that made things feel off was the fact that the Death school was still in Nightside and there has yet to be a properly appointed teacher. Malorn was doing well with the younger kids, but he had his own studies to worry about, and Dworgyn hardly seemed able to care for himself. Whenever a student got into trouble he always had to send them up to Ambrose, even if it was as simple as tattle-telling on another student. Malistaire always issued his own punishments, and to be completely honest he was a far better teacher than the hunchback lantern-hugging man.

I glanced back over at Ambrose's, spotting Rosie come out the door with a neatly folded paper in her hands and a wide smile on her face, telling me that the report had gone well. "Any gifts, or are we left to bust skulls open again?"

"No gifts," Rosie told me as she approached, though her smile was still in tact. "I did, however, find _this _on the billboard," Rosie unfolded the paper in front of me with a flick of the wrist. There was a colorful picture of a masked guy in a suit and a pretty-looking girl with curly black hair, wearing a navy blue dress with Myth insignias splotted about. In the center it said:

_THE 5TH ANNUAL RAVENWOOD BALL IS HERE!_

_Join in beautiful dancing and upbeat songs at the schools biggest event of the year! _

_Delicious food will be prepared by our very own Lydia Greyrose, and for the first time three years it's completely free!_

_Go with your friends or that special someone for a day everyone's sure to remember!_

_Location: Jacob Stoneridge's house, 98 Airway Date: April 28_

Rosie opened her mouth to say something, but I slammed my hand on her mouth before she could. "I'm not going."

My friend rolled her eyes, removing my hand with a half-exasperated, half-mischievous grin on her face. I turned and began walking away from her, Lord Shadow dashing over to my side. Rosie followed at the same old brisk pace.

"C'mon Heat," she wined, stomping a little bit. "It's _free_ this year! This may very well be our last chance to go to something like this!"

"_Your _last chance maybe," I countered as we made our way to the waterfall. "I've still another year before I consider leaving,"

"Come _on _Heat! You don't even have to find a date! Malorn would love to go with you and maybe even Travis! Heck, _just come with me and I'll be happy!" _A mixture of her over-exaggerated tones, loud outbursts, stomping feet and demeanor of a five year old were growing increasingly annoying that the only thing I could do was say 'fine'. Without waiting for a bear hug or response, I opened the door to Nightside and slipped in, shutting the door before my friend could follow.

The place was just as gloomy as ever, though at the moment I could care less. Mortis was busy talking to some Grandmaster Necromancers, so there was no way the grumpy tree would interrogate me as he so often did. Fuming I stormed over to the lopsided school, saying a maybe-bit-too-brisk hello to Marla, who looked shocked at how annoyed I was. I opened the door to the school, the rusty hinges creaking as I did so, and walked in, finding balance easily on the tilted ground. Dworgyn wasn't anywhere in sight, though that wasn't really surprising. Knowing him, he was probably scavenging Sunken City for some old lantern. There was one person in the class that was a pleasant surprise, much to my relief.

"Hey Malorn, what are you doing here?" The boy in question flinched and turned around, a tired smile on his lips as he saw me and waved me over. He was sitting in our old desk we shared back in our novice years, and it felt odd as I settled myself beside him. A pile of papers sat in front of him, along with two books. His normally bright green eyes were dull and his long raven-black hair was askew.

"Working," Malorn sighed, rubbing his eyes. "Dworgyn's mad that I've been falling behind. Ambrose gave me another class to work with secondary Journeymen, and because of that I've been too drained to do my own work."

"You look exhausted," I commented, glancing over at his work. "What are you working on?"

"I'm supposed to write an essay on Captain Deadlock," Malorn's eyes twinkled as he glanced at my cutlass. "Don't suppose you could help me with that?"

I felt myself smile despite my annoyance with the dance and Rosie. Even before I knew my cutlass once belonged to Deadlock I had studied him profusely when I was young, and he was one of the few subjects I actually liked learning about.

"What are you supposed to do?" I asked him, reaching over for one of his books entitled "Slain Rubyshire, a Deadlock Story". The rivalry between Rubyshire and Deadlock was legendary, and in the end neither of them won. The greedy Pyromancer died at Deadlock's hand, and Deadlock was never seen as the most honorable Necromancer because of it.

"Pick a quote and decipher what it means. Spent that past few hours just reading the danged books," A slight blush crept onto his face. "I never did pay attention in history sessions."

"What quote were you looking to use?"

"I was hoping to find something that went _against _the stereotypes. A lot of newbies are stereotyping wizards this year, and I was thinking that if the essay was good enough I can have it posted up somewhere, or read it to my classes," He sounded dubious. Smiling thoughtfully I ruffled his hair a bit, hoping to cheer him up before leafing through the pages of the book I held. _Page 156...there!  
><em>

"How about this one? _'Fight with honor, boy. Fight like a Necro.'_"

"That's perfect!" Malorn practically surged out of his seat, the light returning to his eyes. "Necromancers in general always were a bit on the honorable side, even if they aren't kindly!"

"That's the wonder of Captain Deadlock," I smiled fondly. "He was the most honorable pirate of them all, which plays a large part in why he's often considered one of the greatest Necromancers of all time. He did change the stereotype for a long time after all,"

"He's an idol of yours then?"

"He is," I ran my fingers along the hilt of my blade, feeling a familiar rush of energy as the cold magika of Necromancy brushed against my finger tips. Malorn smiled thoughtfully and sat back down, gathering his stuff and putting his hat back on.

"Care to walk with me back home? Maybe you can help me out a bit more," I nodded, glad for a little distraction. _Whatever I'm missing for class I can get tomorrow, _I told myself as I stood from my seat and helped Malorn pack his things into his bag.

"When did you get a house?" I asked him as we walked outside of the classroom. "Just last week you were complaining about how small and crappy your dorm was, not to mention what a complete jerk your roommate was,"

Malorn shivered and nudged my shoulder. "Don't remind me. Tristan Drabble's the most annoying kid I've ever had to meet, and hopefully will ever meet. He's worse than Rosie!"

"Oh c'mon Mal, he's not _that _bad,"

"Is to! Remember when I was dating Rebecca? He _spat in her food!" _

"She was a little user!"

"Still, it's not proper!"

I playfully punched him in the arm. "You know you're glad he did that," I commented. Malorn didn't respond, though the small smile that formed on his face confirmed that he was just as amused by it as I was. I smiled and curled my arm around his. "So, about your new house...is it nice?"

He thought about it for a moment. "If by nice you mean better than some crappy dorm, then yes, it is nice. It's on Cyclopes Lane, 215. It's a small building, but for one person it's pretty decent. Got enough room to house the pets, have my own study area, a living room, bedroom...it's wonderful!"

"Compared to a one room dorm that is," I teased, causing Malorn to laugh a little.

"Compared to a dorm," He agreed. We continued quietly the rest of the way there. I savored our time spent together, mainly because it's been so long since we hung out. We sometimes spent time together in class and worked on nearly every project together, but it wasn't since our Initiate years that we _actually_ hung out outside of school. It was nice to spend time with someone who wasn't an overly-obnoxious redhead. It wasn't long until we reached his place, which wasn't far from the tunnel to Olde Town.

Inside reminded me much of Cyrus's home: simple and compact. Crimson red wallpaper wrapped all around the bottom floor, breaking only at the light stone fireplace. A dark wood table and a few cheap-looking kitchen chairs sat by the window, which gave a nice view of the streets as younger wizards passed by. The main room had a comfortable looking black couch against the wall and two silvery-grey chairs. A Redwood coffee table was the center of attention.

"Not bad," Malorn glanced at me and smirked.

"I think it's a bit too much like your place to be honest with ya, unless Cyrus changed the decor at all." He glanced over at me, and smiling I shook my head. Malorn chuckled and grabbed my wrist, pulling me over to the table and forcing me to sit down in one of the chairs.

"That's one way of getting a girl to sit at the dinner table with you," I commented with a smirk, rubbing my wrist and glancing back at Malorn. He laughed and pulled out some paper, a pen and his books, plopping them on the table and sitting down on the opposite side of me. "I hope you're not gonna make me do all the work again?"

"Of course not, my dear Heat. A Drake never works for another student!" I rolled my eyes at that one. "You're just here to keep me company; I hate working alone."

"Obviously,"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, nothing," I stared at my friend innocently. He smirked and didn't respond, turning his attention to his paper and scribbling his name down. As he did so I reflected on how often he fell asleep in class yet somehow managed to get all his work turned in on time. It was a wonder Ambrose let him teach the newbies at all. I leaned back in my seat, braiding and unbraiding my hair several times before he spoke again.

"Are you going to that Ravenwood Ball this year, or are you just gonna sleep all day?" I groaned and laid my head down on the table, Rosie's loud, annoying pleads suddenly coming back to me. Malorn glanced at me, his pen suddenly stopping. "I'm guessing your going?"

"Yeah..." I sighed, rubbing my temples.

"Rosie?"

"Rosie." Malorn frowned, writing another sentence or two on the paper and mumbling something under his breath. I glanced at him curiously. "You seem suddenly on edge."

"Rosie," he muttered, and upon my confused look he added. "She wants me to ask you to the dance; just sent a chuchoter." I groaned and laid my head back down, wishing she would just leave it alone. She was my best friend, but sometimes I wished she weren't so arrogant and stubborn. Suddenly the gem on my outfit glistened, and in my mind I heard Cyrus's voice calling me home for dinner. Cursing in Celestian under my breath I stood up and stretched my arms out.

"Cyrus wants me back home," I muttered to my friend, who let out a sigh and ran a hand through his hair. I stood there for a moment, thinking. "Want me to ask Cyrus if you can come over for dinner? We can discuss the dance thing then and _maybe _find a way to respond to Rosie."

"I didn't think Cyrus let guy-friends over?" Malorn cocked his head curiously much like he did when he was younger. It resembled that of an innocent child.

"Not normally, but your one of my few friend he actually approves of." Malorn shrugged, and taking that as a yes I sent a chuchoter to Cyrus. There was long silence before he curtly replied "fine". I nodded to Malorn, and reluctantly the Legendary rank Necromancer gather his thing in a neat pile on the table before nodding to me. I sighed as I ported to Cyrus's house.

This was going to be fun.


	15. Lessons in Memories

**EDIT: _The first part of this chapter probably could've been done better, but overall I'm actually proud of this rewrite. At 3, 462, Here's your new chapter 14. ENJOY!_**

**Chapter 14: Lessons in Memories  
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The first part of dinner was fairly awkward. It was the same routine - serve ourselves and sit down - except this time there was an awkward teen boy in the house who was more scared of Cyrus than anything. Malorn sat awkwardly at the table, twiddling his thumbs and glancing about the house every now and then. Cyrus was silent, promptly cutting up some Avalonian-seasoned steak without so much as looking at my friend. I shifted uncomfortably. _The last time dinner's been so awkward was when we went to Malistaire's, and that was years ago..._

"So Heat," Cyrus finally broke the silence, which had lasted near thirty minutes, and I sighed in relief. "How did your recent quest go?"

"Alright, I suppose. If the kids hadn't decided to tag along we would've been back a lot sooner." My adoptive father nodded slowly, taking a sip of some cider before responding.

"And Bedoier?"

"Easy enough to deal with. I was honestly hoping for him to be a bit of a challenge."

"You were wounded. Is that not good enough for you?"

"Only because I was careless." Cyrus rolled his eyes at this, and I bit back a smirk. He was always a bit on the protective side, and whenever I returned home with a new scar or told him I had been wounded in some way, he would scold me for being careless. When I was younger he even prohibited me from going on quests with Rosie - who had started them when she was just barely an Apprentice - until he was certain I was ready. Malorn glanced at me.

"Where'd Rosie send Bedoeir anyways?" he asked, finally getting over his nerves about Cyrus.

"Well she told one of the Grandmaster Sorcerers to take him, and I can only assume he was taken to the dungeons below Wizard City," While it was a little known fact, Wizard City didn't have a typical prison. Instead there were these narrow passageways in the guard towers that lead down beneath the city to a dark, rather clammy dungeon hold with small cells and rats everywhere you looked. It was far from hospitable, so for the more lowly criminals the city always sent them to Marleybone or sometimes Krokotopia to do some hard labor. Considering how much of a threat Bedoeir posed, it was safe to say he would be one of the few criminals to spend his life underground.

"What does he look like?"

"He's a small, emaciated albino. Hardly threatening, but he's quick," Malorn nodded, and the conversation ceased. I focused on my salad, picking at it and taking small bites of the bright green leaves. Malorn was idly playing around with his food, stabbing his salad and watching as the leaves fell off. Briefly I recalled how picky he was, not fond of veggies yet as 'vegetarian' as a Theurgist. Cyrus was eying him disapprovingly, and my friend shifted awkwardly beneath his gaze before finally taking a small bite, closing his eyes and obviously trying to not make a face at the taste. My adoptive father sighed, placing his fork neatly beside his plate before folding his hands together and leaning back against his seat. _Interrogation time, _I thought with a sigh.

"So Malorn, how is your teaching coming along?" Surprised my friend looked up.

"Good, I suppose. Ambrose seems to think so at least. He gave me another afternoon class to tutor Secondary Necromancers," he said after a moments thought, wincing slightly. "Though the younger students are as naive as you can get,"

"Agreed. This is the worst run of students we've had in a long time."

"You'd think that with the mess Malistaire caused students would take their lessons more seriously, when in reality it's just the opposite!" Malorn let out a half-exasperated, half-grieved sigh and let his fork plop onto his plate with a loud _clank_. I glanced at him curiously, surprised by the note of sadness in his voice. "He was a good teacher...I miss him."

"Everyone who knew him misses him," Cyrus murmured, the familiar pang of lonely sadness entering his voice. Suddenly he looked a lot older than he really was. His eyes closed momentarily and he stood abruptly form his seat. "Malorn, it was a pleasure having you over, but I'm afraid I must ask you to leave now,"

Malorn glanced over at me, eyes glistening with an unasked question: what about the dance?

_"I'll ask him about it later," _I told him in a chuchoter. Understanding flickered briefly in his bright green eyes as he nodded. He bowed respectively to Cyrus and bade us farewell before leaving. When the door closed behind him, Cyrus let out a shaky sigh and turned to face the window, his eyes glazed over with unspoken memories and thoughts. Knowing it was best to leave him alone to his grieving I grabbed the plates and went over to the kitchen, dumping their contents in the trash before hand-washing them in the sink, hot water scorching my fingers as I did so.

As I worked my mind was filled with thoughts of Malistaire, remembering the various lessons he taught us and family times we had during Christmas and Thanksgiving, which were the only times everyone actually got along well. I thought about my cousin Alex, and for a moment I wondered how she was coping with the death of her father, remembering how - unlike me and Cyrus - she had referred to him as 'dad'. She was sent out to stop them and witnessed his death. While Alex and I would always be at odds, we both agreed on one thing: Malistaire didn't deserve to die like that. I glanced over at Cyrus, who was still looking out the window with a glazed look in his eyes. _What would happen if I ever had to kill him? _I couldn't even begin to comprehend the thought, and shivering I continued working on the dishes, shoving the thought aside and focusing on the task at hand.

When the dishes were done I wiped down the table and counters before grabbing a book and curling up on the couch. When I was about twenty pages in I felt Cyrus sit beside me, letting out a sigh. I looked at him for a moment before closing my book.

"How are you feeling?" I dared to ask. Normally when I asked that question he'd say fine and leave, but this time he simply shrugged.

"I'll be alright," he sighed. I shivered and hugged myself as he said this. It was so unlike the proud Conjurer to look so defeated. He glanced at me through the corner of his eye. "You look tired,"

"It's been a long day. I hardly did anything today yet I feel exhausted."

"It's the lag of traveling through the Spiral Door," My adoptive father said matter-of-factly, some of his old, intellectual self returning.

"Spiral-lag and Rosie's pesterance," I grimaced as I remembered her pestering me to go to the ball with her since it would likely be her last chance. Since it was likely I wouldn't get another chance I told him about the ball and how Rosie managed to squeeze a yes out of me, asking if I could go with Malorn so I wouldn't be left alone with Rosie there in case she tried something. Cyrus was silent for a few moments, and for a moment I was worried that he had gone back into his trance.

"Very well," he sighed at last. "As long as it isn't considered a date, I'm fine with it."

"You _would_ be concerned if it were a date," I teased him, waving a hand dismissively. "I'm seventeen years old, Cyrus, and even if it were a date Malorn is more decent than ninety percent of the guys here. Besides, I should know what to look for in guys after all the relationship failures my other friends have had,"

"Are you saying you think you're ready to date?" Cyrus inquired with a raised eyebrow. I smiled and shook my head.

"I know I'm probably ready, but I've only met two half-decent boys at our school, three if Duncan's stereotypical-ness is ignored, and none of them I'm really interested in,"

"Even so, I don't want you dating until your _at least _eighteen, preferably nineteen." Cyrus sniffed before changing the subject. "I'm honestly glad you're going, though. The other teachers decided we'll be having the Legendary promotions at the dance, so I'll be forced to go," His nose wrinkled in distaste.

"Really? Why is that?"

"Ambrose is giving the students a break from the clean-up so they can go and thinks it'll save time. I'll only stay for the promotions, though, then I'm coming back home." Cyrus grabbed a paper that had been resting on the end-table and unfolded it, showing it to me. "These are all the details about the ball that wasn't on the printed flyer. It has the times for all the events that'll be happening." I grabbed it from him and scanned it over, surprised to find so many different things happening.

"And it's supposed to be free this year?" Cyrus nodded, and I felt my jaw drop. "But they're having so many shows this year! How in the name of the Tritons are we affording this?"

"Gamma has been pulling strings for a while now with other schools and production companies. Since this year we have the most graduating students in ten years, he and Ambrose wanted to make sure it was a special ball this year," I nodded absently as I continued to look over the different productions. _Wysteria Theatrical Company... D.A.S ... Fox-Trot Troupe ... Alley Cat Ballet (Graduated students) ... _I flinched when I saw the name of my old ballet school.

"Alley Cat's performing," I said aloud as I read the names of the promoting students. In my peripheral vision I saw Cyrus nod.

"Students from your graduating year are giving a special performance. Perhaps you'll see some old friends?"

"Perhaps..." I handed him back the paper upon realizing no one I knew was being promoted. "Do you know what the theme's going to be this year, or are students still deciding?"

"Everyone attending has to dress in their school colors, whatever they may be, and those who don't have to go into the Piggle pit." Cyrus smirked slightly at that. "So don't wear your usual black and green attire; not Necromancer enough." I rolled my eyes and leaned against the arm of the couch, beginning to undo the straps of the silver plated armor that covered my arms before standing up and stretching.

"Once I put everything away I have a few things I need to handle. I don't trust Cori to have done what I told her so I want to check with Greyrose and Halston, maybe Moolinda for Kiley." Cyrus nodded, and grabbing all my belongings I went upstairs to my room. I hung the silver plates back up with the full suit of rather beautiful armor, admiring it briefly before throwing my main guardians robe into the dirty clothes hamper. I changed out of my Tunic of Leverage and put on a simple, over-sized white sweatshirt and some black leggings. Pulling on some black leather boots I attached my sword-belt to my waist and made my way back down stairs.

Cyrus had grabbed a book off the shelf and was apparently absorbed in its contents. When I passed by him and told him I was heading out he didn't give any sort of response other than a barely noticeable nod. Grabbing my bag - which I had left on the chair - I made my way outside.

The chilly air felt nice on my skin as I walked down the Shopping District. The sun was just now beginning to set, the beautiful purple-blue sky blending in with the fiery light beyond. Directly opposite of the sunset, the two moons of Wizard City were beginning to show themselves, and as the sun went farther behind the city buildings, more stars of varying color began to appear. There was a gentle breeze blowing in the wind and the changing colors of the leaves revealed that autumn had finally come.

The Commons was slowly beginning to empty of townsfolk and wizards as the day drew to a close. Little kids followed their parents into the Shopping District with tired eyes as they made their way home and wizards scurried about in order to get to their dorms before curfew. Some continued standing around, beginning to pull out little red slips of paper that indicated they had permission to stay out. I nodded to a few of my classmates before walking into the tunnel that lead to Ravenwood just as the gates were beginning to close.

Ravenwood was probably the only place that never changed with the seasons save for the occasional frosting of snow on the ground in winter. Bartleby's leaves stayed the same emerald green all year around and the school trees always looked the same (though their moods varied depending on the weather). Storm was the closest school to the entrance, so I decided to visit Cori's secondary teacher first.

Halston Balestrom was laying on top of his desk, scribbling stuff down on a Post-it note. When the door slammed behind me he looked up and gave me a warm smile. "Ah! Young Heat! It's not often I see you in here! What can I do for you?"

"Sorry for interrupting you, professor," I said politely. "But I was wondering how Cori's studies are coming along?" The eccentric frog's smile immediately faltered, and with a sigh he sat up, his slim legs falling over the side of the desk. It made me wish that he wasn't a talking Diviner/Inventor extraordinaire, or else I would've gladly made him my pet.

"Sometimes I wonder who's worse: Scarlet Song or Coritha River." That statement alone was enough to get me worried, and with a sigh I leaned against the desk behind me.

"That bad, huh?" The frog nodded. "I told her to come and pick up some work she's missing. I wanted to see if she did that?"

"I've'nt seen her all day," I frowned and shook my head, scratching my forehead and trying to hide the obvious anger I felt. Halston looked up at me and for the first time since I met him there was a serious look his bright yellow eyes. "Heat, everyone knows how much you care for Cori and Kiley, but you really shouldn't make yourself responsible for them. They're only, what, three or four years younger than you?"

"I just want them to be safe is all," I murmured quietly. I had heard the same thing from Rosie and Cyrus many times over, and even Malorn had mentioned it, but this was the first time a professor - and one I highly respect - had told me this. Halston had an understanding look about him, and he hopped over to the desk I was leaning on and patted my hand.

"It's not your fault for feeling so responsible. You did save their lives after all, and it's only natural you want to keep them safe. They'll never learn with you always watching over them, though. That's the harsh reality about being a wizard."

"Well, what do you suggest then? Just leave them alone and hope they'll see how important it is to study, and if they don't learn let them flunk?"

"That'd be best," Halston's voice was both stern yet gentle. "If they don't catch on, then they aren't meant to be wizards in the first place. I'm not going to lie to you, Heat - I respect you too much to do that - but they _will _flunk unless something terrible happens that makes them realize how important it is to pay attention and learn,"

"Is that what happened to Scarlet?" I dared to ask. Even though Scarlet was one of Halston's worst students and they quarreled more often than not, there had been this connection between them that made them care for each other, specifically once Scarlet became an Adept. Halston gave me a sad smile and nodded.

"Don't get me wrong, Cori has potential, but something big needs to happen in order for her to open her eyes and see the bigger picture. Just leave her be and let experience teach her."

"Alright," I sighed, standing up and dipping my head respectively. "Thank you, Professor. I'll make sure to keep what you said in mind," and with that I left the humid room behind me, and not even bothering to question the other teachers I made my way back home.

-S-

When I got back, Cyrus was still on the living room couch reading the same book, which surprised me. In the time I had been gone he should've been done with it and even a second book. I looked at him curiously as I hung my bag on the back of the dining chair. "You're normally done reading a book in the time I've been gone,"

"That's because this isn't a book," he murmured, and surprised I came over and sat beside him, peering at the pages. And it most certainly _wasn't _a book. "These are pictures and notes from when Malistaire and I were younger. A sort of memoir I suppose. It goes from our Novice years all the way up to our Grandmaster ones."

"That's amazing..." I murmured, more to myself than to him. "At that time Grandmaster was Ravenwood's highest rank, so you practically recorded all your school years!"

"I did," my adoptive father smiled sadly, turning the page. There were three pictures, two smaller ones on one side and a larger one on the next. They looked around seventeen at the time. Malistaire had the signature pale skin and dark raven-colored hair that brushed his shoulders, held loosely in a ponytail. His eyes were a lighter shade of blue than I remembered, the same color as Cyrus's. My adoptive father had the same look about him, except instead of long hair like his brother his was short and a shaggy, the color so light a blonde it could've been mistaken for white. Other than slight differences in hair style and wardrobe, they looked exactly the same. They wore armor in the color of their schools in the first two pictures, a black dragon by Malistaire's side and a white one resting on Cyrus's shoulder. The third picture had another person added to the group: a very young and pretty Sylvia Drake.

"Both your uncle and I were pretty smitten with Sylvia when we were younger," Cyrus murmured, staring at the picture with blue eyes glistening in memory. In this picture Sylvia had long curly hair that looked like a burning fire, a flawless pale complexion, and beautiful moss-green eyes. She was hugging Malistaire from behind in this picture, reminding me of the inseparable bond the two had. "She was the prettiest girl in school at the time, so the the guys loved her and were surprised when she decided to date Malistaire and later marry him. I wasn't too upset, though. If she made my brother happy, then I was happy too..."

His voice trailed off, and he ran his finger slowly, delicately, along the picture. It was obvious he was trying hard not to cry, his face and neck looking strained and his breath shaky. Without thinking I flung my arms around his neck and hugged him.

"I'm so sorry Cyrus," I murmured. "I'm sure that wherever their spirits rest, though, they're together. They're together and happy," I felt his shoulders and chest rise as he took a deep breath, and gently he rested his hand on my shoulder and pulled me away.

"Go to bed, Heat," he murmured without looking at me. "You need the rest and I...I need time alone to think..." He removed his hand from my shoulder and closed his eyes. "Just go to bed."

And I did just that.


	16. Future Plans

_**EDIT: Chapter 15 LG rerwite is here! Not much to say here other than I might be a few chapters behind where we left off. I might figure out a way to work it out, but expect a few longer chapters throughout the rest of the rewrites as I need to merge a few chapters together. Anyways do enjoy!  
><strong>_

**Chapter 15: Future Plans**

I couldn't get to sleep that night. I wasn't used to seeing Cyrus so broken down, so..._defeated._ While I knew he was depressed he always hid in his room when he got like that so I wouldn't see. That didn't happen this time though.

With a sigh I sat up, glancing about the room. Lord Shadow was snoring gently beside me, his black and purple scales barely noticeable in the dim moonlit room. For the first time since the journey he looked completely relaxed and at ease, catching up on some much-needed rest. His tail twitched once. Twice. Three times. Sharp blade-like tail-spines brushed against my arm, creating a few shallow white scratches. Briefly I recalled how the sharper the tail spikes are, the older the dragon is. _Poor dear, _I thought, carefully running a hand down his flank. _Guess you really are getting old._

I sighed and rolled over onto my side. The Celestian armor that hung proudly in its case was shining brightly, telling me it was midnight. Every time the moon - or moons, as Wizard City had multiple - was at its highest peak the armor would shine a bright light. It was during a rather mundane and overall useless quest I had received from Mortis, the Death Tree, that I found such armor. I was sent to collect rare underwater herbs and returned with Moonscale Armor. Mortis was less than impressed and Dworgyn was so simple-minded he simple threw more homework at me. Cyrus, though, had seemed very proud, even buying a proper case to hold it in.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the looking glass Cyrus had given me, twirling it around and examining every aspect of it. It wasn't Celestian - it didn't glow in moon, star, or sun light - and while it looked old I doubted it was anything ancient, not from Azteca or Avalon anyways. Jade was precious in the ancient times, only found on Mooshu and some places of Krokotopia. _It's certainly not going to fit into any of my collections, _I thought, recalling the various ancient objects I had scavenged over the years, used as decorations around the house or hiding out in Harold Argleston's off-limit areas (he was kind enough to watch over them for me). _So...what is it?_

The jade Minotaur was coarse, age wearing down the precious substance, and the glass was so worn I could barely see through it. Slowly, carefully, I put it to my eye, wondering if it was something that could "see the unseen", but here was nothing except a cloudy mess of rusty color and scratched surface. I frowned and weighed it in my hand. A strong magical substance emitted from the small, heavy eyepiece, but it was unidentifiable. Rosie couldn't identify it, and it was likely Cyrus didn't know either; he would've told me in the note. I sat up with my back against the headboard, muttering different words in all the languages I knew, even in Dragonspyrian despite my lack of knowledge on the subject. Nothing.

"Will you settle down..." Lord Shadow groaned beside me. "For Titans sake I'm surprised Cyrus isn't up with all this noise your making!"

"Sorry," I muttered, scratching my pet behind his horns. "I'm just trying to figure this thing out." Lord Shadow's icy eyes snapped open, and he slowly lifted his head, staring at the contraption in my hands. His eyes glistened in thought, but he did nothing except snatch it away from me and fly over to my desk, laying it down and flying back over to his pillow and curling back up.

"Problem solved," he continued staring at me with a questioning glint in his eyes though. "Now, what else is bugging you?"

"Cyrus," I murmured, and at his confused look I added, "He had another one of fits today, only he didn't run away to his room this time," Lord Shadow's eyes softened, and he crawled onto my lap, burying his face in the crook of my arm. A low rumbling sound came from the back of his throat, a sound that could be compared to purring only with a more ragged, deeper note to it.

"Did he cry at all?" he asked gently. I shook my head, closing my eyes.

"He was about to, though, when he told me to go to bed,"

"He's going through a hard time right now Heat. You're the only family he has left. As he moves through the stages of grief he'll probably start to express more and more around you,"

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked him. I had already known that, eventually, Cyrus would express his emotions more freely around me, but it was almost as if there was something deeper to my dragon's words. His eyes glistened in the moonlight as he looked up at me.

"Because if he completely breaks and falls apart it's _you_ who has to put the pieces back together," A part of me wanted to argue with him and say that everyone healed after grieving, at least to the point where they can carry on with their lives, but was that really true? Sure Cyrus was a proud, incredibly strong Conjurer, but could he truly recover from the devastation that completely destroyed his blood-family? Lord Shadow sighed and rubbed his head against my hand. "I'm not saying you're the only one who can help him - I'm sure the Headmaster and the other professors will do what they can when the situation presents itself - but you are the only family he has left."

"I suppose you're right," I conceded quietly, absently running my hand along his back and tail. _Cyrus misses Malistaire and Sylvia so much... _Suddenly a single thought surged through my mind.

_Does my family miss me?_

* * *

><p>Breakfast was terribly quiet the next morning, much quieter than usual. Cyrus was hardly eating anything, but that was to be expected. HE never ate as much after he had his fits. I sighed and took a small bite of blueberry pancakes, watching as he idly twirled his fork around in his hand with a tired, drained look in his eyes.<p>

"Heat," he spoke suddenly. "Can you get me a cup of coffee?" I nodded, abruptly standing from my chair and walking to the kitchen.

"Did you get much sleep did you get?" I asked in hopes of starting a conversation, pouring the dark coffee into a simple white mug.

"Did you?" my adoptive father countered rather bluntly. I shrugged, handing him his cup before settling back down in my seat. He stared at its contents for a few moments, swishing it around as if he were thinking about something before finally taking a small sip. It wasn't often he had coffee, only having it after a bad night's rest, and the face the made revealed how much he hated the caffeinated beverage. "Don't know why I always make this stuff..." He muttered. I smirked before gulping down the rest of my water.

"What classes are you teaching today?"

"Morning classes are Adepts and Journeymen, then in the afternoon I'm just having a Legendary class." I look at him, surprised to find he only had one afternoon class. Cyrus, upon seeing my confused look, let out a half-exasperated sigh. _At least he's somewhat back to normal, _I thought, waiting for him to continue and forcing myself not to smile. "Half the Legendaries in my second class are either out finishing the clean-up or moving out, so Ambrose had that class canceled for the day,"

"I didn't think so many kids were coming up on their eighteenth birthday..." I murmured aloud, briefly recalling that Rosie's birthday was coming up soon. "That and I didn't think so many would want to leave,"

"The recent incidents that unfolded have all but left the students exhausted. True the life of a wizard has and will always be a difficult both inside and out of Ravenwood, but nothing this big has happened since Krokotopia had a proper Queen, and that seems like a millennia ago,"

"True as that may be, you'd think they'd want a bit more experience before going out in the real world," While graduating wizards no longer had to burden themselves by solving the little mishaps that happened throughout the Spiral, they were always on call in case something were to threaten the balance of the Spiral such as war - or more recently - a madman ridden with guilt bent on destroying the Spiral. Even though those things were rare, they took a long while to end, and even then the regular jobs and professions of a wizard were demanding. Cyrus simply shrugged at my statement. He did care for the students' education, but he wasn't going to feel sorry for those who wanted to leave before they had enough experience.

"It's their own fault in the end. If they suffer for their stupidity, then they should've stayed for the experience they needed," he muttered, taking another sip of his coffee.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything!" A new voice suddenly joined in the conversation, making me flinched. I looked over to see Professor Balestrom standing by the door. He gave a slight, awkward smile. "Sorry for intruding like this. I tried knocking but my guess is that you couldn't hear me...like usual..." He rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

"We were just discussing how students are leaving sooner than expected. Idle chat really," Cyrus nodded for his fellow professor to come in. Halston gave a polite smile and quickly hopped up onto the table, careful to avoid any silverware and food as he walked along its edge. Cyrus raised an eyebrow at him. "You don't normally come to visit, Halston, especially in the morning. Was there something you needed?"

"Actually, I was wondering if you guys had seen Rosie," The frog glanced from me to Cyrus, and when we both shook our heads he let out a low, somewhat annoyed croak. "Figures. She hasn't come in to collect her missing work yet, and I can't seem to find her anywhere!"

"Why are you so concerned with young Fallon's education?" Cyrus sounded rather bored, as if he really didn't care about the answer or the sudden disappearance of my friend. "She might be packing up to leave; her eighteenth birthday is coming up after all." Halston gave him a sharp look before turning to me, obviously not into Cyrus's negative views of his student.

"I know she isn't scheduled for another quest for at least a few more weeks, but she isn't at the Arena - Diego hasn't seen her since her return and there are no logs of any recent bouts - and I asked her roommate if she was in her dorm. She's not," The news came as a surprise. While Rosie certainly wasn't a walk-through-the-park student, she was smart and hard-working, always turning in her assignments on time even when she was on a rather hectic quest.

"Have you tried sending her a chuchoter?"

"I have, but she's blocked her mind from receiving anything. My guess is that she's trying to get some time alone for a bit," Halston looked at me with inquiring yellow eyes, as if he were wondering if something happened on the quest that made her so unsociable today, but he simply asked, "Could you go look for her? My class is about to start and I can't spend all day trying to get her attention,"

"I'll do what I can. It might take a while though if she's blocking her communication line," Halston nodded, a grateful smile on his face. I nodded respectively to the two professors before making my out, shutting the door behind me with a loud thud.

* * *

><p>It took me a full thirty minutes trying to send chuchoters and scouring Wizard City before I finally found my lost red-headed friend. Rosie was hiding out in the Haunted Cave, fighting red-suited fodder in a duel. I leaned against the wall of an abandoned house as she casted her Tempest spell It looked pretty weak, but it was enough to practically drown the fodder, breaking the barrier with ease and sending him washed away farther down the street. As the duel-circle faded Rosie slowly drew sword and made her way over to the half-drowned fodder, cleanly slicing his head off with a rather blank look on her face. When she turned and spotted me, she gave a slight roll of the eyes before approaching me, wiping the black-red blood off her weapon with a cloth.<p>

"What're you doing here?" she asked bluntly, her voice practically devoid of all life.

"I can ask you the same thing," I countered with a sigh. "Halston came over to my place looking for you. He says you never came in to collect the work you missed over the quest," Her aqua blue eyes lit up with sudden realization, and groaning she leaned against the wall beside me, running a hand through her hair.

"Crap..."

"What are you doing here anyways? Halston and I tried contacting you, but you blocked your communication line." I asked, glancing at my tired-looking friend. Rosie just shrugged.

"Thinking,"

"About?"

"Leaving," my friend slid her back down against the wall, sitting down on the cold, wet side-walk with a sigh. I knelt down beside her. It wasn't often she looked so stressed out about something. Paranoid maybe, but not stressed. My friend glanced at me through the corner of her eye. "I know I said I might go to Marleybone and take over the family business, or stay to improve my Theurgy, but I've no passion for magic and I don't want to make a living selling clothes,"

To say it was a shock to learn that Rosie never really had a passion for magic was an understatement, especially with how powerful and dedicated she was. But looking back on it she never did have any real excitement when it came to duels. She cared enough to fight them honorably and fairly, but other than that they were just another obstacle to her. I frowned and settled down more comfortably on the ground. "Is there more to it than that?"

"Actually yes, there is. I've been getting all these letters of late, most trying to persuade to join their clan or business. Even Halston asked if I wanted to be an assistant of his once school lets out. Don't get me wrong I admire the guy - he's one of my idols - but I think Scarlet is better suited for the job than I am. She isn't necessarily hard-working, but she's handy and clever," Rosie let out a tired sigh, closing her eyes and resting her chin on her knees. "I guess I'm just confused about what to do," I frowned trying to think of something to help comfort, but nothing came to mind. What could you tell a stressed out trouble-maker who didn't know where her passions lie?

"Well..." I murmured, trying to think. "You like fencing and sword-fighting don't you? Aren't there groups you can join and get a pay for where that's the main focus? You can continue going on quests and travel,"

"I tried looking some of those groups up, but most are just vigilantes or criminals," Rosie muttered, keeping her eyes closed. I cringed. Of course; all groups like that were either anti-magic or criminals...

"Well then, have you talked to Diego? Maybe he can get you a job somewhere in the Arena that isn't an Arena Watch,"

"That's possible. He was talking about having a tournament system set-up, but it won't be for a few more years he thinks. It still has to be cleared by Ambrose and he needs to have the system created." Her eyes opened again, glistening in thought. "He was discussing it with all of his Captains and frequent battlers. Alura has already agreed to help and try to put groups together, and Sapphire might be doing the same. She's still debating," She glanced over at me through the corner of her eye. "What about you? What are you planning to do?"

"I plan on staying for at least a few more years after my eighteenth birthday," I answered her question, already having made up my mind. "The experience will be for me, and I can make sure Cyrus is back to normal. I don't know what exactly he thinks of me, but I know he doesn't want me leaving so soon after his brother's death," Rosie let out an amused snort.

"Too kind for your own good. You do realize you're selflessness is going to stab you in the back one day, right?" I shrugged. Selflessness or selfishness; either one was bound to have consequences in the end.

"It hasn't stabbed me yet," Rosie rolled her eyes before changing the subject back to the problem at hand.

"And after you graduate?"

"Haven't decided," I confessed. "I know Malorn is going to be moving out his nineteenth birthday - that's when his family is supposedly coming back to Wizard City - so I might ask Ambrose if I can take up teaching the Death students. Dworgyn is an absolutely horrific teacher," Rosie snorted again.

"You'll have to gain acceptance of Mortis for that, and he already hates Cyrus, and in turn you,"

"He knows I'm a worthy Necromancer at least, and well educated. If I graduate in my twenties I'll be old enough and hopefully experienced enough," Rosie sighed and leaned her head back on the wall. Suddenly the mischievous light returned to her eyes.

"And Malorn will be your boyfriend helping out in the class, right?" She sniggered, her lips curling into a half-smile. I blushed and flicked her head.

"As if! I'm still mad at you for forcing us to go together!" Rosie laughed and surged to her feet suddenly.

"Some on," She turned and started toward the Shopping District. Surprised I got to my feet and jogged to catch up to her.

"Where are we going?"

"We need to find you party outfit. The party is tomorrow after all,"

Of. Course.


	17. Surprises at the Party

_**AN: Ew. This chapter. I cannot do light-hearted AT ALL. Dang party scene sucks dramatically. Well, at least it's longer than it was previously. At 5,313 words, do enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer (cause it's been a while): I do not own Wizard101. If I did, it'd be much, much darker. :)**_

_**Translations: **_**Da una nobile all'altro: ****From one noble to another (Italian)**_**  
><strong>_

**In questi tempi, signore, io non sono un nobile, ma saluti a voi.: In these times, mister, I am not a noble, but greetings to you. (Italian)**

**Chapter 16: Surprises at the Party**

I frowned at the mirror, once again pulling the light blue ribbon out of my hair. The gently curled golden locks fell softly against my shoulders and back, the color so light it was almost white in the bright light of the bathroom. Honestly, it looked nice styled as it was, the curls a nice change from the usual straight hair, and would have been fine kept down for once if it weren't for that one, annoying little lock that would fall in my face and brush insistently against my eye and cheek. _If there's anything more annoying than uncooperative hair, _I thought, running a hand through my hair, _I certainly haven't found it. _

"Heat!" Cyrus's voice - more impatient and agitated than normal it seemed - echoed down the hall. "Hurry up, or I'm leaving you behind!" With an exasperated groan I put my hair up yet again, this time in a low ponytail with the bangs falling down on one side. _That'll have to do. _Grabbing my black lace choker I quickly made my way to the main living area, my black heels clicking annoyingly against the hardwood floor. Cyrus was waiting by the door, dressed in his usual yellow and blue robes, though this time with a navy blue cape around his shoulders, a Minotaur gold piece holding the garment at his left shoulder. When he saw me, he lifted an eyebrow inquiringly, distaste dancing in the depths of his dark blue eyes. "I thought you were going to wear the gown?"

"I like this one better," I shrugged his comment off and sighed, grabbing a small silver dagger and attaching it to the back of my belt. The shoulderless black dress was more comfortable than the gown Cyrus had wanted me to wear, the poofy skirt coming just above the knees. It was completely black, lace lining the bottom with a skull pattern embroidered into it. The belt wrapped tightly around my waist, a medium sized ivory skull attached at the hip with two black ribbons trailing down from it to just below the skirt. To complete the look, I had a pair of fingerless lace gloves and a choker that matched the belt. The only thing that couldn't be considered Necromancer was my blue ribbon, which wasn't enough to account for...I hope.

"Was Ashthorn going to meet you somewhere?" Cyrus asked after he glared at the dress with pure distaste. Smirking I shook my head, easily pinpointing just what he was thinking about, which involved Malorn and the short dress. Or any boy there, as the case may be, which was cause for the dagger.

"No, he has some grading he needs to complete. We're just going to meet up at the dance." Cyrus nodded, looking a little more comforted, before placing a hand my shoulder and teleporting us to the house the dance was being held at.

Before the flash of white could even fade from my eyes, I could hear the blaring music of the party. As my vision cleared, I stared wide-eyed in front of me at the massive white-stone palace in front of us. Walls as large as the building itself surrounded the place, a faint, almost unnoticeable light glistening off them, telling me that the walls were, in fact, magically enhanced for protection. An open drawbridge lead into a courtyard. A very, very crowded courtyard. I cringed, shifting uncomfortably beside Cyrus. My adoptive father glanced down at me and smirked slightly.

"You're the one who wanted to come." he commented smugly as he walked past me, making his way toward the back of the palace presumably where the other professors were. I frowned, watching him disappear behind the wall before leaning against a nearby tree, playing around with my gloves and awkwardly glancing about. Couples who had been hanging outside the main attraction went into the courtyard arm in arm, hand in hand, laughing and smiling as they finally had a chance to relax. I felt myself smile. _Now _this _is the Ravenwood I know. _Sighing I shook my head, sending a _chuchoter _to Rosie.

"_I'm just outside the palace. You should come get me."_

"_Oh my freaking Titan Lord Heat!You're so stinking pathetic sometimes, you realize that right?" _I rolled my eyes and continued playing with my gloves, not bothering to respond to her obnoxious comment; she'd only argue back. I watched as a few pet Piggles - one blue, one yellow, and one the usual pink - fluttered by, oinking and looking as if they were having fun. Finally, after several minutes of watching the "interesting" trio, I spotted Rosie come out of the courtyard, dressed in a small, long sleeved, dark violet velvet dress with a storm insignia wrapping around one half of her body. She was holding hands with a familiar looking young man with slick brown hair and slate grey eyes. He was wearing a orange and gold tunic, expensive bronze armor covering his arms. It was the same Sorcerer who took Bedoier down to the dungeon.

"You unsocial bunny," Rosie teased as she and her date came over, a mischievous glint in her aquamarine eyes. She tugged at the Grandmaster's arm, pulling him closer. "This is Timothy Blueshard -"

"Grandmaster Sorcerer and Avalonian noble," I finished with a grin, immediately recognizing the last name. Timothy smirked, a knowing glint in his eyes as he bowed slightly.

"Da una nobile all'altro." He said, speaking New Avalonian as he addressed me. I shook my head, smiling.

"In questi tempi, signore, io non sono un nobile, ma saluti a voi." I dipped my head politely. Rosie looked at the two of us with a baffled, slightly annoyed expression on her face.

"Woah woah _wait! _A: you guys know each other? And B: what the heck did you just say?" Timothy simply shrugged, wrapping his arm more tightly around her waist.

"More or less. All nobility know each other on Avalon...at least names. And what we said was purely formal Avalonia greeting." Timothy's voice was heavily accented, making me wonder just how long ago it was when he first came to Wizard City. Rosie nodded in mild understanding - formal greetings weren't her thing and she would never fully understand nobility - before turning to me.

"Timothy just recently transferred to Ravenwood," she explained as if reading my thoughts. "He trained up to his forty fifth rank in a private Avalonian school, and when they didn't provide sufficient teachings his parents sent him here."

"Guess education is favored by all noble types," I murmured, more to myself than anyone as I thought back to the night I ran away. _They never let the student choose what they want to learn._ I shook my head, clearing the thoughts just in time for me to catch Timothy's statement.

"Apparently." he smiled. "It's always a pleasure meeting a Shadowsword. Your name may not be known for the same reasons, but known nonetheless, and more revered." I shrugged, not really wanting to discuss it. It wasn't fair to call a misguided brat a legend, though it was a nice title to have. Good for intimidating others and getting free food at certain, rather under-the-water places that you wouldn't go to otherwise. Rosie, however, was looking more and more perplexed, and bored, so she changed the subject with ease.

"Where's Malorn?"

"Grading papers. He'll be here sooner or later," Rosie didn't like that answer. She arched an eyebrow, and let go of her date to cross her arms in such a way as to demand a better answer. I smirked. "Neither of us wanted to go to the dance, Rose. You forced us, so you can't be upset that my 'date' isn't here yet."

"A real gentleman would have taken you here with him."

"Did Timothy take you?"

"Well..." Any further response was cut off by someone clearing their throat just behind me, and spinning around, almost drawing my knife, I came face to face with Malorn, dressed handsomely in ebony armor that was of a similar style of the male Captains uniform and a long, swooping cape attached to his right shoulder in a similar manner as Cyrus, only instead of a gold Minotaur, it was a skull. His black hair was, for once, brushed and nearly styled, and his green eyes sparkled with a mixture of warmth and sheepishness.

Perhaps a date with him wasn't so bad after all. Even Rosie looked surprised, her eyes widening in a mixture of amazement and slight envy. Then, as quickly as it came, the look was gone, replaced with a mischievous glint. Suddenly I knew her goal for tonight was to make us a real couple, and I suppressed an exasperated sigh.

"Sorry I was late." He commented, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "Hope you didn't wait long." Privately, in a chuchoter, he added, "_I was hoping I would get here before Rosie would find you." _

"Not at all," Timothy assured politely, unaware of our telepathic conversation. I smiled, leaning in closer to my 'date'.

"_Even so, at least she didn't hook us up with complete strangers._" His lips curled into a slight smirk, feigning amusement toward some cheesy joke of Timothy's I didn't catch and instead forcing himself not to laugh at the prospect of a blind date.

"_Very true. They might have been ugly_." He glanced at me through the corner of his eye as Rosie and her date lead the way down towards the courtyard. Smiling he hooked his arm around mine and we slowly followed them. "_You look stunning in black by the way_."

_"And you look passable in armor."_ At this, my friend laughed outright, and suddenly I thought that the night wouldn't be so terrible after all.

Oh, how short lived those thoughts of optimism are. Perhaps it had something to do with me being a Necromancer, a natural-born pessimist, but I most certainly wasn't going to remain a jolly optimist for long. The blaring music nearly blasted my eardrums out the moment we entered the courtyard, making even Malorn flinch in surprise. He cursed lightly under his breath, and grabbing my hand he quickly pulled me over to where Rosie and Timothy had somehow managed to grab a seat at a table.

"Isn't this insane?"Rosie called above all the noise, a cheeky grin plastered on her face as she leaned on Timothy's arm. I nodded dumbly, though I had a pretty good idea that her meaning of 'insane' was far different than my own. My friend winked at me, eyes alight with laughter, the stress she had previously been feeling completely vanished from her thoughts...for now. My red-headed friend turned to talk with Timothy, and as she turned away I felt Malorn tug at my arm.

"_Lets go inside; Duncan said it was less crowded." _With a quick glance at Rosie, I followed my friend toward the main entrance into the house. While there were still quite a few people inside, it was no where near as crowded as it was outside. The interior of the palace was simple in comparison to the grand place it presented itself to be. The walls were a simple cerulean blue, and while the decor itself looked rather expensive there was little of it really. A few pictures here, a few chairs there, and a table over there. Of course, that could just because the owner of the place didn't want to see anything broken by the party-people; rumor had it that Jacob Stoneridge was actually a very classy, very quiet young man, and a personal favorite of Cyrus's. Of course, that was just the rumor; Cyrus never talked about favorites, just the idiots who annoyed him day in and day out.

Malorn turned to me, smiling softly. "Much better."

"What're we going to do?" Malorn paused for a moment, scratching his head.

"Well…" I smiled and grabbed his hand, twirling myself into his arms. He looked surprised, though not necessarily displeased.

"How about a dance?"

"I'm not much of a dancer…" He was beginning to blush, his tan skin flushing to a darker, redder color. Smirking I wrapped my arms around his neck _Why am I enjoying this so much? _Unable to find an answer, I simply went with it, grabbing his hand and pretending he was spinning me around. He smiled, the corners of his lips pulling back into a toothy grin as he twirled me again, albeit a bit...inelegantly.

"Guess you really can't dance." I teased him. He shrugged, but before he could properly respond the sound of footsteps echoed from behind us, and glancing back behind my friend I saw someone I didn't think I'd see again. At least, not so soon. "Travis!"

"Hey Heat, wasn't expecting to see you here." Travis waved a hand awkwardly. Malorn glanced behind over his shoulder and nodded in greeting to the Conjurer, shifting to stand beside me. The inn-boy was dressed in a navy blue and yellow-gold tunic with poofy white sleeves and a matching hat, a sword hanging by his side. He smiled, looking just as awkward as his wave was. "I was under the impression you didn't like big parties like this."

"I don't," I exchanged a glance with Malorn. "It was forced upon really." Travis nodded in understanding. A long, awkward silence proceeded; I was surprised there wasn't a cricket chirping somewhere it was so quiet. I shifted awkwardly, leaning in closer to Malorn and playing with the fabric of his cape. Finally, after what seemed like ages, Travis cleared his throat.

"Yes, well...erm...are you two, uh...?" We both shook our heads vigorously.

"No," Malorn said flatly with a glance at me. "Again, it was...forced upon that we went together. We've been friends for a long time though." He added quickly, slight indignation lining his tone as Travis's eyes flared with interest when he looked at me. I forced myself not to roll my eyes. _Boys!_

"Are you here on a date Travis?" I asked, hoping to stop some idiotic rivalry from starting. Travis shrugged. "More or less. I'm here with an old friend of mine, like you guys are. She's a grandmaster Sorcerer, so you might have had a class with her."

"Oh? What's her name?"

"Patricia Hawkeye." I thought about the name for a moment, but I couldn't recall anyone called Hawkeye. I shook my head.

"Nope, doesn't ring a bell."

"Well, I guess you'll meet her soon then, if you want. She's supposed to meet me here. She's not very...punctual, you could say." I nodded, and yet another long, awkward silence proceeded. I frowned and leaned against Malorn's shoulder, beginning to speak to him in _chuchoters._ We both contemplated on who this 'Patricia' was. Neither of us knew who she was and never even heard of her, but then again - if she were a Grandmaster - there had been a large influx at the time she would have been joining. There were a lot of people high rankers didn't know below level fifty. About several minutes later, the door slammed open, and the three of us flinched. In the doorway was a chubby young girl with light brown hair and practically bursting of rainbow colors. Malorn and I exchanged a surprised glance as the girl squealed in delight and ran over to Travis, giving him a bear hug.

"There you are!" she squeaked happily at a slightly dazed Travis. "You have no idea how lost I was! There's sooooo many people I just couldn't find you anywhere!" Suddenly she stopped, glancing in our direction and cocking her head curiously. "Oh, who are you?"

"Trish," Travis pulled slightly away from the overenthusiastic girl. "These are some...friends of mine. Patricia I'd like you to meet Heat Shadowsword and Malorn Ashthorn. Guys, this is Patricia Hawkeye." The girls silvery-grey eyes lit up in recognition as she looked at me. At first I thought it was just that she remembered the legend - the eyes gave it away to those familiar with it - but I was surprised when she said:

"Oh yeah! I know who you are! You're Cyrus's daughter and one of the legendary secondary Sorcerers, right? Your dad's my secondary professor and your name is on the honor roll sheet in Sorcery!"

"Yeah..yeah, that's right." _Since when was I on the honor roll list?_ Patricia flashed me a toothy grin, and for a second time that night I forced myself not to roll my eyes. I could handle over exaggerated people, Rosie with her hot-headedness and Cori with her defiance, but this girl was just way too excitable.

"Do you think you can help me cast Hydra? I'm having problems and Arthur said to look for an honor roll student to help me so I don't fizzle so much and now that you're here..." I only half listened to her tangent, frowning at how much this girl talked. _And here I thought Donna was bad._ When she finally finished her very-long run-on sentence I nodded my head slowly. _Tutor her to cast Hydra. Not too difficult._ I just hoped I didn't miss something else in her explanations, which I felt was extremely likely. Malorn cast me an amused glance before grabbing my hand.

"Well, we'd best get back to Rosie." He said slyly, looking to get away from the odd couple. Travis - I swore he looked envious when Malorn grabbed my hand - raised an eyebrow inquiringly.

"Alright if we join you?" He asked just as slyly. _Great Titans are boys annoying_; Malorn was looking slightly indignant again.

"If ya want..." And without another word my friend pulled me with him back outside into the crowd.

_"No need to be that protective Mal,"_ I told him in a chuchoter.

_"He doesn't need to keep leering at you. That whole time Trish was talking he was was looking at you up and down!"_

_"Was not! Why would he-"_ oh. Right. The whole reason Cyrus _didn't_ want me to wear this dress. Malorn glanced over his shoulder and smirked, then slowed down a bit so we were walking side by side, shoving our way past hordes of people and dancers. I frowned as I recollected my thoughts. "_He's not that bad a guy Mal_."

_"I'm sure he's not,"_ my friend conceded as we settled down back our table. "_But he's a romancer at the very least."_

_"And how do you know this?_"

_"He's friends with Drabble."_ I frowned at him and didn't respond as Travis and Patricia came over, settling themselves across from us and putting an end to our telepathic conversation. The girl looked around wide-eyed with excitement.

"I wonder who'll be performing next? The last dancers were really really good!" Suddenly Patricia began to sing, which wasn't terribly bad to be honest, but then she started dancing. I slammed my head into Malorn's armor-covered shoulder in a vain attempt to ignore her then. Malorn smirked and pat me on the back a few times. Suddenly I heard someone call out my name, and looking up I saw a tall, lean young man with long lavender hair and charming caramel eyes saunter is way over to our table. Immediately I felt myself smile.

"Arayas!" I exclaimed once he was within ear-shot. He smiled, pearl white teeth glinting in the light if the moon.

"Hey girl! How are you? I see ya got ya self a date. Bout time hun!" He wrapped his arms around me in a hug, one I 'happily' returned. Malorn looked extremely perplexed by this man, green eyes wide. I smirked and pulled away from him.

"I'm doing good Ary. How about you?" The man shrugged and pulled up a chair from a nearby table, sitting on it backwards.

"Same old same old, I guess. Dance captain now, legendary Diviner, new girlfriend, all that shiz." He waved a hand around dismissively. When Malorn looked at me oddly I smirked and told him in a chuchoter:

_"If you don't like Travis because you think he is a romancer, you'll absolutely hate this guy."_ My friend smirked and nodded, sitting back in his chair and beginning small talk with Patricia and Travis, asking how they were doing in school. Meanwhile I turned to my old dance partner. "Are you performing next?"

"I am." He smiled cheekily. "I was wonderin' if you'd like to join me. We're one gal short ya know." I shook my head.

"I haven't danced in years Ary, especially in front of a large crowd." He looked slightly disappointed, but only slightly. He stood from his seat with a sigh.

"Alright then. Well, I guess I'd better get the troupe together. After this though we gon' catch up." And with a girly wave goodbye, he left us alone. Everyone stared after him oddly, and I let out a sigh of relief.

"That could've been worse." I muttered, laying my head back down on Malorn's shoulder. He looked at me curiously, but before he could ask any questions I said, "He's a romancer, like I said, and a complete drama queen. Rumor has it that his parents wanted a girl so badly that they tried to raise him as one, which explains the way he talks." Everyone nodded in slight understanding. He was odd, that was for sure, and very emotional when it came to certain things. I was hoping I wouldn't run into him.

As Ary went up on stage with his ballet group - officially marking him the most feminine straight guy around - conversation ceased in most parts of the courtyard. As expected, the dance was very flamboyant, energized, something most people didn't correlate with ballet. It wasn't always light-footed elegance when it came to the art. As we watched, Rosie and Timothy came over, casting odd glances at the two people who stole their seats but didn't say anything about it. My red headed friend looked at me curiously. "Were you gonna go home with Cyrus?"

"Probably," I commented as soon as the routine was finished, looking up at her. "I just keep running into people; not as fun as I would've liked." Rosie rolled her eyes as I said this, and my guess was that - had it just been us, Malorn, and Timothy - she would have made a loud exclamation of 'you should've stayed with me'. She remained silent though, instead grabbing onto Timothy's hands and swaying back and forth. A part of me wondered if they were going to become a full-on couple, and if so I was questioning whether or not to trust Timothy.

It seemed I've been running into a lot of romancers and womanizers of late.

Suddenly Patricia sprang from her seat, eyes wide. "The promotions are happening! Tim we gotta go!" she grabbed Timothy by the wrists, prying him from Rosie and running at such a fast pace I thought the scene would just blow up into a cartoon with Timothy waving behind her like some human flag. Rosie's eyes were still wide with shock by the time the pair had cleared the large courtyard.

"What just..." Travis shook his head, closing his eyes.

"Don't question it. Trish is a mystery."

Rosie didn't say anything after that.

1252256

The rest if the night was, at the very least, uneventful and boring, and by the end of it all I wondered just what made parties more exciting that going out in mini-adventures. Rosie had a new boyfriend, I saw my old dance troupe and talked with them a bit (still an over-dramatic troupe of fan girls if I may add), did some catching-up with my old dance partner and informing him about everything in my life, met an oblivious, over-excited brown haired girl who really should be a blonde, learned that Travis was, in fact, a romancer, and I realized that Malorn was quite protective of me.

In short: very, very odd night.

Malorn and I walked arm in arm down the Shopping district after he had insisted on taking me home. Cyrus was beside us, watching us with a careful eye while begrudgingly making small-talk with Malorn. I remained silent the rest of the way, my heels in my one free hand as I walked barefooted on the cobblestone street. When we finally arrived at our house, Malorn bowed shortly and gave me a brief hug.

"See you in class tomorrow," he said with a small, exhausted smile. I smiled and nodded in return, watching as he retreated back down the street. Cyrus looked at me through the corner of his eye, and I glared at him, daring for him to say something. He gave the slightest of smirks before unlocking the door and walking in.

"Malorn seems decent to me," he conceded once both of us were inside. "The other boys you were with though…"

"Timothy's with Rosie and I hardly know Travis." I stated bluntly, slumping into the closest chair with a sigh, rubbing my feet. Heels were _not _my friend. Cyrus nodded, taking off his cape and folding it over his arm.

"Travis is a good student," he said, brushing off his cape. "But he's picky, stubborn, and jumps to conclusions."

"So in short, stay away from him if possible." I rolled my eyes and laid my head against the table. Cyrus nodded, then started to make his way down the hall, but before he could make it to his room the doorbell rang. Cyrus looked at me, prompting me to get it, and groaning I slid out of my hair and slowly opened the door.

"Mail for the Drakes," the clean-cut man in the blue suit handed me a few envelopes, and I nodded his dismissal before shutting the door. _Why does the dang mail always come this late on ball nights? _I decided not to linger on the question, instead looking at each envelope. There were three letters addressed to Cyrus - two for unknown business purposes and one from Dragonspyre - and there was one letter from Avalon. It was addressed to me. While I was practically sleep walking, my curiosity gnawed at me. _Who in Avalon could want me?_ I left Cyrus's letters on the table and tore open the one addressed to me with my dagger. It was an official looking document at first, but there wasn't anything 'official' about it at all. It was a personal letter with a seal of two criss-crossing swords and a raven stamped at the bottom.

The Shadowsword family crest.

"Heat what is it?" Cyrus asked, walking back into the main living area dressed in his sleepwear. I hardly felt his hand rest on my shoulder as I read the letter.

_Dearest Heather Albinine Shadowsword,_

_It has come to our attention that you have taken up residence in Wizard City, and we rejoice to hear that you are, in fact, alive. As our daughter, however, we implore you to come back to us. We miss you dearly and would like to have a family back together again. In replacement of your studies at the Ravenwood School for the Magical Arts, we shall hire a private, experienced tutor for you in whichever study you wish, preferably Conjuration. We ask of you to please consider this invitation back into our family. We miss you greatly. _

_With love, The Shadowsword Estate_

"Heat?" Cyrus's voice was beginning to sound concerned.

"My parents want me to come back home…" Cyrus's eyes widened in surprise, a faint flicker of..something, in his eyes. _Is he scared I'll go back? _I handed him the letter to look over, and as he read his sudden flare of emotion went down, and he shook his head.

"For people who want their daughter back, this certainly seems more like a business call than a plea to have their daughter back," he commented bluntly, glaring at the letter with undisguised disgust. Suddenly his flare of emotion sparked again, and quietly he asked, "Will you go back?"

"I don't know…" I frowned and slumped into my chair again, rubbing my eyes. "I sure as heck don't want to live with them again - you're more caring than they are - but…" I frowned and folded my arms. "I don't know if it's still like that…"

Just then Lord Shadow flew into the room, looking well-rested, and upon seeing me he cocked his head curiously. Cyrus - after a moments hesitation - showed him the letter. My pet nodded in understanding and flew over to me, curling his slender body around my neck.

"You don't have to go Heat," he murmured calmly.

"But if they bothered to write a letter - even one as annoyingly formal as it is - then they must at least be thinking about me." I ran my hand down his neck, sighing. "Don't they deserve to know I'm better off here than there?" Lord Shadow exchanged a glance with Cyrus, and for the first time understanding seemed to pass through them. My adoptive father rested his hands on my shoulders as Lord Shadow uncurled himself.

"How about we go up there in order to reassure them you are better off and have settled down with another...family," he hesitated at the word, and I could only assume he was thinking that there was only us two left in the family. "That way they know you're in capable hands and aren't surviving on your own."

"I'll go to if it helps," Lord Shadow added, landing on the table in front of me. I sighed and nodded weakly. Without a word I stood from my chair and walked up the stairs to my room.

I just needed to sleep.

010101010

Lord Shadow gazed at the flickering firelight, watching the flames dance eternally in the hearth. Cyrus was slumped on the couch, eyes half close and his hands folded across his lap. He had been unable to fall asleep and came out in hopes of relaxing his racing mind.

"You're a bit on edge," Lord Shadow commented, breaking the still silence. Instead of shooting him a sharp glare or a retort like he was expecting, the Conjurer just shrugged.

"I don't know much about Heat's family," he murmured, gazing at the fire with a distant look in his eye. "But I know they're calling her back not because they want their family back together, but for something else."

"I have the same feeling." Lord Shadow agreed reluctantly, though the urge to argue was nearly unbearable. There was no need to lie that he felt the same though; he'd never lie for Heat's well-being. "I'm under the impression they want her so they can have an heir to the estate and family business, or continue the direct family line through arranged marriage. I don't know what it is exactly, but it's most certainly _not _for her."

"Do you think that she'll agree to whatever their demands are?" Cyrus asked, a slight worry entering his tone. Lord Shadow's brow furrowed in thought, his claws kneading at the arm of the chair as he narrowed down the possibilities.

"Two years ago yes, she would have, but not now, not when she's come so far in her studies. Besides," a slight grin curled one end of the dragon's mouth. "Rosie's been an influence on her, both good and bad. While defiance isn't good in general, it definitely helped Heat shape her view on things. That mixed with her determination to succeed will prevent her from saying yes." _Hopefully. _Lord Shadow wasn't certain, but there was no need to worry Cyrus. Not now anyways. The Conjuration professor nodded, looking to relax slightly, before standing and walking back to his room without a word. The mutt-dragon stared after him for a few moments, then put out the fire and retreated to Heat's room.


	18. The Library

**So, I'm on summer vacation now, just got back from a nice trip to San Diego, and I'm ready to write :D (Yeah, right, took me two days to finish this one lil chapter...I'm not in my groove Dx) Still hope you enjoy!**

I woke up early the next morning, thankfully in a more content mood. When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was Cyrus, slouched in his chair, sound asleep. At first I felt bad for not letting him take the bed, but I shook the feeling away. He would've made me take the bed anyways.

I laid there in bed for what seemed like forever, running everything that happened last night through my mind. _Mother had married to Byron, who was the father of Patricia, making her my sister_. I frowned, rolling onto my back and staring up at the blank ceiling, counting the individual stones that made it up. Fifty two, fifty eight counting the smaller ones. _Mother kissed Patricia when she came in, which was something she never did to me. Does that mean she loves her adopted daughter more than me? _I began to count the trees on the wall paper. There were six on each side, making this room perfectly laid out, and totaling twenty four trees. _Father died because he tried to find me. Does that make me responsible?_

My thoughts were interrupted as a tired yawn sounded. I glanced over to see Cyrus stretching in his chair, the book falling to the floor. "Good morning Heat." He yawned.

"Good morning." I sat up a little, resting my back against the headboard. Picking the book up, Cyrus came over and sat beside me. "Sleep well?"

"Yeah." I murmured, unconsciously reaching for my bag and pulling out my Guardians outfit. Cyrus frowned.

"Are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah, just a lot to take in…" I pulled out the Dandy's boots and plopped them on the floor, struggling to put them on. "Where'd you get the book?" I asked, attempting to change the subject. Cyrus frowned disapprovingly, but didn't bother to persist. Instead he shuffled through my bag and pulled some more comfortable looking shoes for me, taking away the Dandy boots. "There's a library here just past the dining hall. Angel showed me it last night after I checked up on you. Want me to show you? There might be some books you haven't read yet."

"I'll find it myself." With a sigh Cyrus nodded and handed me the book. "Put this back for me would you? I need to talk to Annabelle and Byron before we leave."

I nodded, and once he left I changed into my Guardians robe. I waited in the room for a while, staring at myself in the mirror before finally walking out into the hall. I tried to keep thoughts of my "family" out of my mind, but failed miserably. The dark rooms of the mansion didn't help either. When I walked past the living room Byron looked up with a friendly smile. Cyrus did the same, but it was more of an "are you alright" smile than a simply friendly one. Mother didn't even glance at me. With a sigh I took a final glance at Cyrus before making my way to the library.

I was honestly surprised by how many books were in the room. Every inch of space seemed to be filled with books of one type or another. It was odd though. My parents never were big readers. _Must be Byron's doing. _I thought beginning to scan for a title I haven't seen before.

"Are you looking for something?" An unfamiliar voice made my flinch, and I spun around to see Angel standing a few feet away. His odd eyes twinkled in the dim light of the library. I shook my head.

"Just trying to find a book I haven't read yet." He came over and looked at the nearest bookshelf. As he searched for a book I marveled at his unnatural beauty. His snow white hair reminded me much of Kiley, but his red eyes were something of a different kind, like two red stars shining brightly in the night sky. There was a certain elegance about him too, but not like Mother. His was more settle, quiet.

"How about this one?" I was snapped out of my thoughts as he spoke, and I noticed him pulling out a worn out leather-bound book. There wasn't a title on it, making me stare at it suspiciously.

"The title just faded away, I promise." Angel assured. I glanced at him, blushing at his amused look. "Have you ever read, or at least heard of the Hearts legend?"

"I've heard of it, but never got any details." I commented, taking the book from his hands. While the leather was rough and coarse, the paper inside was pure white and smooth to the touch, causing my fingers to tingle at the touch. "Isn't it about the death of the first Theurgist?"

"Well, that's one way of putting it. Really it's about death in general, and about how Necromancy was created." He took the book back. His pale hand stroked mine as he did so, and we both blushed slightly. I looked away, rubbing my hand. He was cold to the touch, like ice. He wasn't just a beautiful, unnatural being; he was the oddest boy I've ever met. Everything about him sparked my curiosity, and as I looked at his star-like eyes, I wondered if he was even human.

"Unfortunately this isn't the full story." Angel commented quietly, skimming through the pages. "It's mostly just pictures." He hesitated, then flipped back to the first page. "Is it alright if I read it to you? It's written in an ancient language used in Old Avalon, and even if you can read it, it's my favorite story…"

I nodded. I actually knew how to read the Ancient Language fluently, even speak it, but if it was his favorite story, I wasn't about to disappoint him. His voice was as cool as his touch as he started reading.

"Death is natural. It comes when life fades. It comes in the dark from Mother Pain and Father Greif. It wasn't mystical though, not like the other elements. It wasn't magic, to say in a sense. Rather it was the darkness in Life itself. Life was the light, death was the dark. Life was to become Magic, death was not. The First Three, the first of the humans to use magic, thought that such darkness should not be part of such a mystical power. There was a conflict between them though about balance and security, so the decision to create Life magic was postponed."

" The Three consulted in their families, and when the One of Fire asked her daughter, Autumn Sun, what she thought of the matter, Autumn stated that there must be balance between darkness and lightness., and so with death and life. The One of Fire agreed, and told her fellow comrades this. They agreed, but still feared Death alone was too dark to be a magic alone, they issued a plan to merge the two magic's together. They needed a volunteer though, to make sure it was safe for such a thing to be created. Autumn volunteered, and soon found herself in a pool of leaves and skulls."

"The Three poured their magical potions over her eyes and heart, chanted the song of Ancient Creation, and she soon found herself overwhelmed by the powers of life and death mingling together. She became the first Theurgist."

He stopped suddenly, and I glanced at him curiously. "Is that it?"

He nodded, closing the book and placing it back on the shelf. "It fades after that. It's a shame really; they've only made two written copies."

"Really?" Another nod and I frowned, slumping back against the bookshelf. Only two in the Spiral, and I only get the first part?

"You might be able to find it in Nightside." Angel said suddenly, causing me to flinch.

"Nightside? Why there?"

"While the school may not have been there all that long, Nightside is a very old place. It's only when death magic touches it does it appear. The death school has enough to keep it around I suppose."

"How do you so much about Necromancy?"

He didn't respond, and when I opened my mouth to persist, the library door opened, and Cyrus appeared. "Come on Heat, we're leaving."

His voice was extremely curt. Eyes wide I scrambled to my feet and rushed to his side. I glanced back at Angel, who smiled shyly. I smiled back just before Cyrus's arm touched my shoulder and I found myself standing in front of the Spiral door. Cyrus's eyes were flaming as he quickly tapped it, whispered "Wizard City" and the next thing I knew we were back home.

"What's wrong Cyrus?" I was puzzled by his behavior. Yes, he was mean, especially to his students, but _never_ has he lost his temper. At least, not around me.

He sighed and shook his head. "I'll tell you later Heat. But for now, just know your mother really irritates me." He ported away again to what I assumed would be his house. Sighing I stared at the entrance to the Shopping District before averting my gaze to the waterfall. If Cyrus didn't want to talk to me about what was bugging him, I still had something I can do.

_Still…it'd be a lot easier if I knew exactly where I was looking._


	19. The Heart's Legend

**Two thousand words :D GIVE BUBU A PAT ON THE BACK NOW! Nah I'm kidding xD I got really into this chapter, so I hope you...as always...ENJOY!**

I hadn't been to Nightside since I got my Scarecrow spell, but when I walked in to begin searching for the book I was reminded of how dark and gloomy everything was. While I had no problem with Necromancy, or even feared death itself, I never enjoyed how gloomy everything was, or how Necromancy was always associated with pain, anger, and even insanity. Still, while there was the average stereotype here and there, I personally had no troubles with it.

I scanned around the small area for a few moments, wondering where I should begin my search. There was Mortis, the Death tree, but for some reason we never got along. There was always this cool, lashing "respect" toward one another, but never a friendship, not even on a professional level. Even if I had asked him, he wouldn't tell me. It wouldn't make a difference if he knew or not.

I glanced over at Sunken City. It was a big place, and while there was probably a good chance the book would be there, the thought of running around through that entire place again seemed _exhausting_. Besides, I would need to call Rosie over to help me, and something about it made me think it wouldn't be the best idea to call her over just to find "some stupid book".

I frowned. It certainly wouldn't be in the Death school would it? _No, I've read all the books there. _I shook my head. What of the rest of Nightside? Would it be in areas I haven't seen yet? I glanced around once more, and to my dismay the only other place here was the city.

"You there!" The deep voice of Mortis caused me to flinch, and I turned to the great tree. His dark eyes narrowed suspiciously as he stared at me, teeth clenched in the way they always were, or at least, what could've been passed as teeth. I hesitantly approached him, wary of what he might say.

"Why are you here, daughter of Drake?" His voice held a cool contempt, and I remembered how he and Cyrus never got along. I sat up as straight as I could while he addressed me.

"You normally only come for a spell to learn, or an egg to claim, but seeing as you haven't moved for quite some time, you're here for a different reason. Haven't you gone through Sunken City already?"

"Yes, but I'm here to find a book a friend told me about."

"A book? This better not be old Cyrus's doing, or the doing of that bookworm Harold."

"It's not. I'm looking for it for my own reasons." I spoke as respectively as I could with his foul breath blowing in my face.

What could've been his eyebrow raised curiously, and his suspicion seeming to dwindle. "What book are you looking for exactly?"

"The Hearts Legend."

The suspicion was back again to my dismay. "That's also a verbal telling too you know. Why not have Cyrus tell it to you?"

"He's a bit grumpy today."

"When isn't he?"

"Hey, just because he treats you and the students poorly doesn't mean he's an all-around bad guy!" I couldn't help but defend my adoptive father. He adopted me after all. He couldn't be _that _bad. Mortis must be able to read thoughts though; he was looking at me with a great dislike now.

"You lack courtesy young wizard!" He snapped, and I looked down at my feet. "_However_, I cannot deny you are a very promising Necromancer." I looked up at this, surprised at his "compliment".

He was silent for a while, as if her were contemplating on whether he should tell me where the book was, or send me away. Finally he gave a decisive groan and I clutched my hands tightly behind my back, staring at him hopefully.

"The Hearts Legend has two books; one is in Avalon, the other here. Which one are you looking to get?"

"The one from here. My birth parents had the Avalon book, but it was poorly kept. Most of it was too faded to read."

"Then you'll find it in a secret passageway in the Death school. It's a long hallway that goes deep underground to a library. I suggest bringing a lantern."

"A secret passageway?" I murmured, confused.

"Well, it's called _secret _for a reason." I shook my head, flipping through the cards in my deck.

"I know that," I commented, pulling out my Spectral Blast card. "What I mean is how can there be a passage if the school wasn't always in Nightside, moreover an _underground _passage?"

"Girl, the school was taken with a chunk of land to Nightside!" Mortis snapped angrily at me, and I felt myself blush in embarrassment. _Of course it was taken on land! I was there with Malorn when Malistaire took the school!_

"Just go into the school and flip to the last page of the book on the pedestal. Scribble the words _Iter Maestitiam. _The pathway shall open, but be sure Dworgyn doesn't spot you. He's currently out in Sunken City at the moment, so you might want to hurry."

"Thank you." I dipped my head gratefully toward the dead tree, making my way over to the school. Curiously I wondered why Mortis was so willing to tell me where the book is, but I let the thought slide. He had his own reasons, and whatever reasons they were I probably wouldn't understand them. I opened the creaky door and looked into the classroom. Sure enough it was empty, and eerily quiet. Even the brewer was empty, making it so there wasn't even a soft boiling sound. Half running to the book pedestal, I flipped to the last page and saw the page completely blank. Making sure my Spectral Blast spell was still in hand, I grabbed a nearby feather-pen and scribbled the words _Iter__maestitiam_in cursive. I stood back and watched as the pedestal moved backwards, not making a single creak, a single _skreeek_. I shivered as the cold air below rose up before making my way down, pulling my face mask over my mouth. I glanced back just in time to see Dworgyn come in right when the pedestal finished closing.

I cast my Spectral Blast, and the three elemental forces buzzed lightly around me, lighting up the area I was in. _I'm gonna have to make sure I don't lose control of it. _I thought, thinking of the trouble I could get into if they were to destroy the place. _Heck, I'll be in trouble if I'm even caught. _The staircase itself was narrow and steep, and I imagined it took me a good twenty minutes to finally get to the library area.

At least I assumed it was a library. Really it was just piles of books and old scrolls in a large room. I went through about ten piles of papers and leather books before finally coming across it in surprisingly good condition. I flipped through it real quick, and to my relief none of the words were faded. I settled down with my back to an old maple bookcase and flipped to where I left off.

"_She became the first Theurgist…_ For a long while, Autumn kept in control of her powers, and life and death were kept in balance. One moonless night though, the One of Fire was murdered in her sleep by Slay, who wanted nothing but to wipe out all that was magical. The grief was overwhelming for Autumn, her mother being her only family. Still, she knew how important balance was for Life and Death, so she kept the pain under control. Many considered her not only the first Theurgist, but the biggest inspiration in the Spiral."

"Soon though, the One of Storm, who had once been madly in love with Autumn's mother, asked her to his room. He told her he wanted her to go and kill Slay and bring him to Justice. Autumn refused, telling him that her powers were something she could not use to kill, especially in the act of revenge. Angrily he exclaimed that she had the powers of Death as well as Life. Surely she was capable of doing this task? Reluctantly, she agreed, and was sent to Nightside."

_Bang! _Startled I looked up to see that the ice elemental of the blast had struck an empty book case. Shaking my head, I turned back to the old book in my hands.

"Nightside was the place Slay had built for himself, completely dark both by night and by day. It was right next to a large city that was being built, and once it was finished, Slay would capture it and sink it into the gloom of Nightside with all of its inhabitants trapped inside. Autumn had heard of his plan, and decided the One of Storm was right; he had to be stopped. She engaged him in combat, which surprisingly, considering his hatred for magic, turned into the first recorded magical duel. She tried to use only Life magic, but they did little to nothing against Slay, and in the end, she created the First Wraith, a being of grief and pain and killed Slay. She thought she would end it in honor, and protection, but by summoning the First Wraith, darkness and revenge grabbed a hold of her."

I flinched as another noise sounded. I glanced up to see a bright purple flame burning on an old torch. Shivering I glanced at my last source of light before returning to the story of Necromancy.

"She became so drawn to justice, and revenge, that the Death side of magic was overpowering her. The One of Storm realized this was his doing, and decided to discuss it with his remaining comrade. The One of Ice, the oldest and wisest of the Three, decided he would have to punish him, but only when Autumn had learned to regain control of her power, or she was exterminated. They waited hopefully for her to return to her normal, warm-hearted self, but it never happened. Painfully, the One of Storm, the strongest and the quickest, was sent out to end her pain. Her mind not clear, Autumn was taken down with a single blow. The One of Storm approached her, ran one finger down her cheek and whispered "When you see your mother, tell her I love her." Then he backed away, and as she opened her eyes a bolt of lightning game down on her, and she was killed. Killed, to say in a sense. Her good side, the one of Life, was left to rest in peace, but the darkness, the one of Death, was left static, unmoving from her body. She became the One of the Undead, and Necromancy was created by fault."

_That's it?_ I flipped through the next pages, but all there was were drawings of the events that took place. Sighing I hugged my knees to my chest, throwing my head back. I felt it hit the end of something soft, and glancing down I saw I had knocked down a scroll. On the side it read _Cœurs__Legend__,__Sens de la Mort. _Heart's Legend, The Meaning of Death. Cocking my head curiously I opened it and found a single sentence.

_Necromancy is dark and evil, but the Heart's Legend tells us there is light in it, and balance if only a little bit, and because of this, you can bring back the dead. _

_Like that wasn't obvious. _Sighing I threw the scroll over the storm-fire that burning and watched it. Small red letters began to form, and with a gasp I grabbed it again.

_I am your shadow. I am your blood. I am your death. Don't run, or I'll give chase. Don't fear, or I'll feed on you. I am your shadow. I am your blood. I am your death._

_Clash! _The last elemental struck the storm-fire, making pitch black. I chucked the scroll away, huddling against the bookcase, feeling my heart beat strongly against my chest. _The shadow…the shadow the shadow the shadow…_Those were the words it had said to me when Cori ran off…why would it be in the Meaning of Death?

For a moment I felt like I was going insane, being in the dark and reading the words that have haunted me in my dreams, but as I saw a faint light in the stairway I relaxed, but only for a split second.

"_Who's in here?"_


	20. Getting Into Trouble

_**So who here thought we'd be introduced to the shadow? WELL GUESS WHAT, you'll have to wait a long long time. :) I'm so nice I know. I wanted to get a little more Daughter/father stuff in because this relationship plays a huge roll in the plot. Next chapter we'll sort of move away from that though and get more into an more adventurous attitude. Anyways, do enjoy! **_

I stared, horrified, as the lantern swung to and fro as Dworgyn stared at me in surprise and in what I assumed to be anger. "What are you doing here young wizard?!" His voice was high-pitched, and I scrambled to my feet.

"S-sorry sir!" I gasped in surprise. Dworgyn always seemed aloof to me, never fully understanding what exactly was happening, and not once had I seen him angry. Guess now I can't say that's true. He was glaring at me, hugging his old lantern, making a low growling sound.

"This is an ancient passageway! No student should be here, no no!" He hissed, his old teeth baring in a snarl. Head down I followed him slowly up the steps. "Oooh, your father better get you into trouble." He muttered under his breath when we got to the top, waving a hand to move the pedestal with some type of magic. I didn't respond, keeping my eyes locked on the ground. I already knew Dworgyn didn't issue punishments, always sending students to Headmaster Ambrose. I guess he was thinking more clearly this time; Cyrus would give me a harsher punishment than anything the Headmaster could do, especially with how he's been acting lately.

He took me outside of the school, and as I walked out I looked up once to see Mortis. The Death tree sighed and closed his eyes, muttering something inaudible. I looked at the ground again. _Stupid tree! Why'd I have to ask him where the book was?_

I guess Dworgyn must've sent a _chuchoter _to Cyrus because he had ported within a few seconds, eyes blazing furiously as he looked at me.

"Well?" His voice was as cold as ice. I shrunk a little at his sternness, just wanting the world to swallow me up. I was still confused by the words in the scroll, confused and terrified, and now Cyrus was going to punish me all because I wanted to find some stupid book. I shut my eyes and heard him scowl in annoyance, grabbing my wrist and teleporting us back to his house without a word.

"Heat, what were you doing in the Death school's secret library?" His voice was seething with anger, and when I tried to meet his gaze I flinched at the look he had. It wasn't that of a teacher mad at one of his students, it wasn't that of loathing some dead tree, it was the look of a father sorely disappointed and angered at what his daughter had done. I looked away. _I've never made Cyrus disappointed before…_

"Honestly Heat, I expect so much better of you! I always thought you were a mature and disciplined young woman, but sneaking into something that's supposed to be kept secret? What could've possibly driven you to do something so…so _absurd_?!"

I stayed quiet for a long time, feeling him glare down at me, trying to think of something to say, _anthing_.

"A-Angel…showed me this book, but most of it was faded…he told me to look in Nightside, so I asked Mortis-"

"Mortis? I thought I told you _not _to talk to him _unless_ it was for schoolwork?" His voice was still seething. I began fiddling around with my fingers, not looking up at him.

"He called me over…not like I had a choice…" I muttered, wincing as he scowled at me. "He told me where the passageway was…and I was really interested in the book, so I did as he instructed…"

"So you snuck in without any permission whatsoever? And don't say Mortis gave you permission; you could've easily turned away once he told you where it was!"

"Not my fault I wanted to know the true history of Necromancy!" I snapped, finally having the courage to look straight at him. His eyes widened in surprise, then hardened into a cold, calm, terrifying anger.

"Where'd that attitude come from?" He asked, his voice a threatening whisper. I didn't respond. Instead I ran out the door, slamming it shut behind me and running as fast as I could. I didn't stop until I hit the end of the Haunted Cave, hiding behind Nightshade's tower and hugging my knees to my chest, feeling the warm tears slowly run down my cheek and drip onto the floor.

_Heat what are you doing in the Haunted Cave? _I heard Rosie's _chuchoter, _but I didn't respond. Instead I twisted the gem on my outfit, making it so no one could teleport or even talk to me. I just wanted to be alone.

-S-

It wasn't until it was late at night did Cyrus come for me. The only reason I knew it was late was because it had dropped well below zero as it normally did in the cave at nighttime, and I was shivering uncontrollably, my face feeling like the tears had frozen on my face.

"Heat?" His voice was calmer now, back to its old, relaxed tone. I didn't look up as he approached.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you. I didn't mean to make you as upset as I did." He murmured, settling down beside me and wrapping his arms around me. I rested my head against his chest, nestling in the warmth of his robes and closing my eyes. His chin rested on my head as I felt him pull me closer to him. Suddenly I felt like I was a little kid again, a beginning wizard who just lost her first battle and upset because of it.

"It's not just that that got me so upset." I murmured after a few silent moments. Cyrus lifted his head off mine and looked at me.

"Something you read in the library?" He guessed. I nodded, stifling a yawn.

"There was a scroll entitled 'The Meaning of Death'. When I opened it, it said the words that-that haunted me in my nightmares." I began shivering again, this time more in fear than the cold.

"And what did it say?"

I took a deep breath and repeated the words: "_I am your shadow. I am your blood. I am your death. Don't run, or I'll give chase. Don't fear, or I'll feed on you. I am your shadow. I am your blood. I am your death."_

Cyrus was silent for a moment. "Heat…" He murmured softly. "Necromancy has a dark past, and in dark things are always created and said to be evil. These words could easily have been said by one of the first Necromancers. In the Hearts Legend Autumn was the first Theurgist, not Necromancer. The first Necromancers were evil right from the start."

"So does that mean Necromancy is evil?"

"No, it doesn't Heat. There are many good Necromancers out there, like you, who just want to help others. Just because a magic may seem evil doesn't mean it is, it all depends on the user."

There was a long silence. We sat there for a while before Cyrus spoke again. "I should tell you why I got so upset with you." I opened my eyes at this, lifting my head so I could look at him.

"When I heard you were in the secret library, I was scared. After Sylvia had died, Malistaire had discovered that passageway and read the Heart's Legend, the real legend. He became obsessed with the fact the Necromancy had some sort of life in it, real life, and thought that somehow he could actually bring back the dead, not just reanimate it in some sort of supernatural form. This obsession was what drove him mad, making him willing to do anything for power, and willing to do whatever it takes to bring Sylvia back. I thought that if you had done the same, then you would get the same obsession, especially now that you know that your father's dead. I was scared I was going to lose you too."

I wrapped my arms around him in a hug at this, burying my face in his shoulder. "You won't lose me Cyrus." I murmured, yawning. "Not over some stupid legend."

"I know I won't." He murmured. I felt him kiss me lightly on the head before picking me up and teleporting back home. I fell asleep as soon as he laid me in bed.


	21. After Effect

**Okay, I don't know what it is, but I feel like my recent updates with both of my W101 stories have been CRAP, like they're lacking something. I might take a break from them and just focus on other stories...but I don't know. Might just be the lack of motivation. ANYWAYS, this is more for you getting to know the relationship we(Firestorm Narulagos and I) have planned for the relationship between our characters for our planned colab (I'm psyched for it XD) This chapter will, however, be re-written FOR SURE. **

"Did you really get in trouble with Cyrus?" Malorn's eyes were wide as he confronted me. I didn't respond, taking a small bite of my salad. Almost every student knew about my little fight with Cyrus, and they had confronted me one by one to see if the rumors were true. They were, but I wasn't going to be the one to admit it.

Rosie was practically choking on her food at this. "What?!" She spluttered. "Heat got in trouble with _Cyrus_?"

Was everyone going to make a big deal of this? "Yes, I did." I muttered, angrily picking at the salad at their shocked gasps.

"See Heat?" Rosie commented, her voice annoyingly smug. "Told you he was a mean guy."

"Hey, it was my fault he got mad, so shut up about that would you?" I snapped, chucking my fork at the ground. Lord Shadow, who was sleeping comfortably in lap, jerked awake at the sudden movement. Rosie's blue eyes widened for a moment at my sudden anger, but with a shake of the head she relaxed.

"So what _did _you do to get him so mad?" Lord Shadow questioned, his voice curt after being awoken from his peaceful slumber. His icy blue eyes bore into me.

"Yeah, what did you do exactly? Dworgyn was grumbling to himself all class about you, and hoping Cyrus got you into 'some big big trouble'." Malorn cocked his head curiously. I shrugged, not at all sure if I should tell him. While we had been friends for a long while, we were never exactly close. Besides, the library in the Death school was meant to be kept secret.

"Not telling ya."

"C'mon Heat."

"No Malorn."

Lord Shadow smirked and curled up once again on my lap, now content that the excitement had passed. _I'll tell you later Shadow. _I decided, knowing he'll just find out sooner or later. Malorn frowned before settling down in front of me, finally giving up on the subject. I knew Rosie wasn't about to give up, but thankfully she was willing to wait until Malorn had gone.

"You guys remember how we all used to hang out here?" She asked, glancing from me to Malorn. Smirking I nodded. We were always that group of novices who hung around the lamppost rather than the tree, talking about one random thing or another. Unfortunately that only lasted until we were apprentices, when our studies really began to take place.

"Yeah," Malorn sighed blissfully at the thought. "And I remember how Heat was always Malistaire's favorite."

"Are you kidding? Alex was always his number one." I commented, not at all that comfortable with talking about my would-be uncle. Still, it was better than staying on the topic of my argument with Cyrus.

"Oh yeah, I remember her." Rosie murmured. "You still talk to her Heat? If I remember correctly you guys were always at odds."

"Not for a long time. Once or twice we've helped each other on a project of some sorts, but other than that I haven't spoken to her personally for years."

"Wow…" Malorn murmured. "You two are the most powerful Necromancers I know, and your technically family. I'm surprised to hear you guys never got along."

"I wouldn't say _never _got along." I murmured, thinking about my cousin. Before I could say anything more though a plume of Conjurer signs showed, revealing Travis.

"Hey Trav." I smiled. It was always good to see him. He smiled back warmly. "Hey guys. Heat, someone wanted to say hi to you."

For a moment I was curious about who could've possibly known me as well as Travis, but I smiled as a young gray-eyed boy popped his head out from behind Travis, a shy smile planted on his face. "Hey Allikye." I purr warmly. His smile widened and soon I found myself hugging my little friend.

Allikye crawled into my lap, hugging my arm and resting his head against my chest. Everyone in my little group made a small giggle, and I blushed. _I swear if anyone makes the comment of how good of a mother I'll be I'm gonna puke…_

Lord Shadow, awake again, gave a patient sigh as Allikye crawled over him. "So much for a nap…" He muttered, shifting away to stand beside me. He stretched out his body before crawling onto my shoulder, nuzzling Allikye in the process. The boy snickered and gave my pet a pat on the head. Lord Shadow, purring, nestled his head into my neck.

"Heat, Rosie!" A squeaky voice called out suddenly. Flinching I looked up and found Gamma flying just over head. "The Headmaster would like to see you!" Exchanging a bewildered glance with my best friend, I followed her to the house, Lord Shadow still perched on my shoulder, where I was immediately greeted by stacks of papers and books.

"Girls! Come here for a moment!" The old man's voice called from behind a high-pile of old looking papers, his bearded face popping out from behind.

"What is it?"

"I need you guys to come with me to give the potion to Bartleby." He explained, pulling out the red flask of magical potion.

"Why?" I asked. "I thought you were gonna get some _other _wizard to do it." Ambrose, Rosie, and Lord Shadow all looked at me in shock, and I found myself staring at the ground. _What's wrong with me today? _The inquiring glance from Lord Shadow told me he was thinking of the exact same thing.

"Well…I want you girls to hear what he has to say." The Headmaster said after a few tense moments of silence. Rosie and I nodded, and all of us teleported to the great tree. We watched in silence as Ambrose poured the spell over the ancient tree's roots. The tree gave a load, mournful groan, and suddenly Bartleby's one good eye opened wide.

"_The daughter of Drake beware…shadows come to haunt and thirst on your fear… stay close to those you love, or watch them all fall…"_

I knew everyone had turned to me as soon as he said those words, but I had ported to my home before anyone could say anything else. I found myself in my desk, flipping through some random book in an attempt to relax. _No more tantrums…no more tantrums…_

"Heat?" Lord Shadow's voice was concerned.

"Forgot to study."

"Liar." Lord Shadow crept onto the desk, hiding the book from me. "Why are you so on edge?"

I frowned, running a hand through my hair and not responding. "Well?" Lord Shadow, King of Persistence as I like to call him, was doing what he did best. With a small smile I patted him on the head. "It's just my fight with Cyrus…what it was about…"

He cocked his head curiously, and I proceeded to tell him the story. "While I was at my mother's, this boy named Angel told me the Heart's Legend-the real one-and I had a curiosity for it. The full story wasn't in that copy and Angel said another could be found in Nightside. Evidently, it was in the secret library in the Death school. I read the story, Dworgyn caught me, and we had a little spat."

I thought that would be good enough to soothe my beloved pet, but apparently it wasn't. He was waiting for more, staring at me with curious blue eyes. Sighing I guessed my chances of getting out of this, and found myself telling him about the meaning of Death. Lord Shadow's eyes widened, but then he relaxed. "So now you think there's something going on with the shadow?"

I nodded. "Especially now that Bartleby said something."

"He didn't specify it was you he was talking about. Maybe they were talking about your cousin and Malistaire?"

"Maybe." I murmured, but I highly doubted it.


	22. Authors NoteOne-Shot

**AN: I've got bad news loves...I'm not in my groove to write Dx I was hoping I'd get to at least chapter 30 this summer, or even finish this story, but I don't see that happening. My motivation is absolute crap so all my stories will probably be put on hiatus for the time being. I CANNOT write well when I'm low on motivation. However, in an attempt to get my groove back, I will be working on rewrites. If you've read the early chapters (which I'm guessing you have) you know they are in need of some SERIOUS rewriting. Not only are they short, but they're just...not good... xP Even in my unmotivated stage I can do better than that XD So, expect rewrites, and once I've completed all of them up to the current chapter this note will be replaced by a new chapter. By then I SHOULD get my groove back and actually have an updating schedule...Anyhow, just to fill the void, here's a little one-shot told in third person. Hopefully it won't be too bad, but considering I haven't writtin in third person in quite some time and my complete lack of motivation, prepare for the worst XD This is also spur-of-the-moment writing (well, all of my writing is, but this one I've no idea of what I'm doing XD) but I'll be using Firestorm's OC, Patrica, just cause I love her character XD XD **

**One-Shot:**

"Trish! Trish you up yet? You know it's almost time for you to be heading over to Ambrose's!" At the sound of her name Patricia's silver-grey eyes slowly flickered open, the normally bright color completely drained of all life. Bags under her eyes revealed the lack of a good nights sleep, and as her blurry eyes adjusted to the morning light filtering its way through the window she half-wondered why her sister had called to her so early in the morning, and why the name "Ambrose" was suddenly of importance. Sure he was the head of Ravenwood, but she was still a good year away from joining that school. _Maybe Isabella needed to handle something that came up...?_

Just then her eyes opened wide, and with a scream she shot straight up, her in-wall bed making her hit her head with a loud, painful _thump. _Groaning and rubbing her forehead she slumped back onto her pillow, but even the new-found bump couldn't dampen her mood. In that moment she realized that living that one year with her sister had passed; she was going to become a wizard!

"Trish are you okay? I heard a loud thud from downstairs!" Just then her sister slammed the door open, heaving a sigh of relief as she realized her ecstatic little sister simply bumped her head.

"I'm fine," Patricia muttered, continuing to smile and rub her head. "I'm just super excited for today! What wizard do you think I'll be? Will I be good enough? Should I become a combatant at the Arena? What if I become Warlord? Will I become popular?"

Isabella smirked as she leaned against the doorway, pulling her short, chestnut-colored hair back in a bun. "I don't know sis, but you'll never find out if we don't leave soon. Get dressed; I plan on leaving in five minutes." At Patricia's nod Isabella took her leave, closing the door gently behind her. Isabella, eleven years older than her younger, more ecstatic sister, was a promising Thaumaturge and had plenty years experience in Ravenwood, and she knew what troubles could be lying in store for Patricia. Secretly she feared for Patrica knowing how naively trusting her little sister was. She waited by the door for a few more seconds, making sure Patrica was doing as she was told, then with a shaky sigh she slowly made her way downstairs. If her sister wasn't careful, then Patrica would be in for a lot more pain than she needed.

Patricia herself had no such worries though. As she quickly slipped into her long, colorful skirt and buttoned up her blouse, all that went through her mind were the questions she had asked her sister and then some. _How long will it be before I'm a Grandmaster? What class will I be? What happens when my studies are over? Who will my first friends be? Is my teacher gonna be nice? Gosh I can't wait any longer! _Grabbing her colorful silk scarf she burst down the stairs, nearly stumbling at the last few steps. Isabella looked up in surprise as Patricia half-crashed into the table, a wide smile planted firmly on her face as she clumsily sat beside her sister.

"Are we leaving now?" She asked excitedly, putting her hair up in a quick, messy braid. Isabella gave an amused smirk, ruffling Patricia's already messed up hair.

"We still have a few minutes Trish, but I suppose we can." Clapping her hands, Patricia was out the door in a heartbeat, leaving a now three-legged chair lying on the floor. Shaking her head Isabella followed her sister more slowly, allowing a small smile to curl the ends of her lips.

When Isabella finally caught up with her enthused sister, Patrica was leaning against the tree that lay just a few feet from Ambrose's home. She was tapping the bottom of her chin, obviously deep in thought, as she stared at the building in front of her. "You _still _haven't decided your secondary class yet?" Isabella snapped, sliding her back down against the tree and staring at her sister in surprise. The young girl had said that was the reason why she stayed up so late. That's what Isabella thought at least.

"No..." she groaned, idly rubbing the bump on her forehead. "All of them just sound so cool! Ice with the defenses, life with the healing, storm with the power, fire with the..."fire"..." Suddenly a shiver coursed through her. "The only class I _know _I don't want is death. Necromancers seem so nasty!"

Isabella didn't respond for a moment, stroking the scabbard that held her blade. The sword she had was of Necromancy build, and a very powerful one at that. She remembered how she once thought the same as Patrica, thinking everything revolving around the Dark Magic was evil. She made friends from the Death school though, and they have proven invaluable time and time again.

"Not all Necromancer's are nasty Trish. Some are really good people, like Professor Drake."

"Which one are you referring too?" Patricia frowned. There were three Drakes at Ravenwood: the brothers Cyrus and Malistaire, then there was Malistaire's wife Sylvia. The three made up the spiritual classes of Life, Death, and Myth, and as far as Patricia was concerned all of them could know some Necromancy.

"Malistaire silly! You met him when I took you to see Ambrose for the first time. He wasn't bad now was he?" Patricia shook her head.

"Don't change my opinion about Necromancy though." Just as Isabella opened her mouth to try and change her mind, Patricia was off on another topic, the light returning back to her colorful demeanor. "Do you think I'll be good at PvP? Good enough to make Warlord?"

"Maybe," Isabella conceded. She couldn't say for certain though. Really it was about a wizards skill in a PvP bout, and Patricia was just now becoming a Novice. "You'll have to work hard to make it to Warlord; there's a lot of strategy involved with battling, especially when it's with other wizards. They usually have more of a brain than mere monsters. Most of the time at least." This caused Patricia to giggle a little, then there was silence.

Patricia tapped her foot impatiently, fiddling with her silk scarf as more and more kids around her age slowly filled the once-empty Commons. Patricia reflected on how Isabella had said that Ambrose like to hold orientation early in the morning so that the Commons wasn't filled with high-ranking wizards who might be looking for a chance to relax. She said that they needed the rest and that if there were a bunch of incoming Novice's, then there would be no doubt that they would be pestering the Masters.

"Trish?" Patricia was snapped out of her thoughts by her sisters voice. Isabella's eyes suddenly looked tired, and she fiddled nervously with her sword. Patricia cocked her head curiously.

"Yeah Izzy?"

"You do realize now that you're becoming a full-fledged wizard we won't be seeing each other as much, right?" Isabella's soft voice was barely audible. The thought hadn't even come to Patricia's mind. She knew she would have a dorm, and later even a house, but she didn't fully realize that she was completely leaving her sister as well. After today, she was practically on her own. Isabella was a Grandmaster having spent so long at the school and was often called upon to help out distant worlds such as Celestia and Grizzleheim. For a moment complete fear of the realization overwhelmed Patricia at the fact of hardly ever seeing her sister, but she quickly shoved the feeling aside.

"Yeah, we won't be seeing each other every day, but now that we're going to the same school it's not like we'll be completely out of contact. Once I'm an Apprentice, I can talk to you all I want through chuchoters!" She chirped happily, not even bothering to realize Isabella wasn't even a student anymore, just another powerful wizard who could provide much needed back up. Isabella allowed a small smile on her face.

"That is very true, and it's not like I'll be sent away immediately. Just remember though, I'm on a lot of teacher's good side - except for grumpy old Cyrus Drake that is - so I'll be checking up on your progress and offering... 'encouragement'." She winked down at her little sister, crystal blue eyes sparkling mischievously. Patricia immediately knew what she meant.

"Izzy..." she pouted, crossing her arms and looking sternly at her much more older and powerful sister. Isabella bit her lip in an almost failed attempt to stop herself from laughing. She hoped that her dear little sister never lost that baby-pout face of hers. "If you even think of trying to get me in trouble I'll-"

The young girls threat was never completed. Instead there was a loud 'hoot', and her attention was immediately drawn to Gamma. The white owl was perched on the corner of the wall, looking around and inspecting the incoming Novice's with a critical eye. "Welcome young ones," he chirped. "Today you will be enrolling into the Ravenwood School of Magical Arts. I am Gamma. I will be calling you by name in the order the applications have been set. This is not alphabetical order however; you'll find the Headmaster hopelessly unorganized." This caused a few giggles from the crowd, including Patricia. She had seen Ambrose's house before; it was nothing but piles of books and papers.

Sapphire Dragon was the first name called. Patricia strained her neck to see the new wizard. She was a viscous looking girl with white, tightly curled shoulder-length hair and flaming gold eyes. "She looks to be from Dragonspyre." Isabella murmured to her. "And it's not because of her name; the leather garments she's wearing are DS made." Patricia nodded absently. She was trying to imagine facing her in a PvP bout as ferocious Grandmasters. Sapphire would be fire for sure, Patrica thought, though she had no bloody clue what her own school would be. When Sapphire came back out, she was dressed in white and dark blue robes. In her hand was a frost-covered want with a snowflake insignia on top.

"Ice?" Patricia murmured aloud, more to herself than her sister. "Shouldn't she be fire? She looks mean and nasty and bloody tough too..." Beside her, Isabella chuckled.

"The tests aren't based on where you're from or outward appearance." She explained. "It's all about personality. From the looks of it, Sapphire is a calm and honest individual, even if she does look bloody tough. Never judge a book by it's over Trish." Patricia nodded, and began to think critically on what she might be. She was energetic, nice, and never told a lie in her life. Maybe she would be Life, or Storm? _Or maybe I'll be Ice, just like Sapphire and Izzy!_ The thought of being like her sister and making a new friend made a large, broad smile on her face.

Just then she heard a squeaky voice call "Patricia Hawkeye" and with a final glance at Isabella she scrambled to her feet and started dancing her way toward Ambrose's, accidentally tripping over a pot of flowers. Isabella, left alone beside the tree, laughed silently at her sister's dancing misfortune.

"Hello Trish, it's been a while!" Ambrose called cheerily, waving the excited girl over to him. In the middle of the chaos of papers and books there was a for once neat looking table in the center, Ambrose sitting behind it. Patricia tried to look calm as she settled herself across from him, but her toothy grin had managed to make the young girls face its home.

"Are you ready?" The Headmaster asked. At Patricia's eager nod, the test began. Just as Isabella had said, it was all about personality. Many questions revolved around her likes and dislikes, hobbies, and preferences. Patricia answered nearly all of them in song, and much to Ambrose's relief, her singing was nearly as bad as her dancing. When the test was completed, the Headmaster of Ravenwood grabbed the piece of parchment, waving his wand over it and two different signs came up.

"Congratulations Patricia! You'll be a part of the Balance school, or otherwise known as a Sorcerer. Not many get to have this honor." Patricia, much to Ambrose's surprise, looked dumbfounded.

"Sorcery...?" She asked, once again rubbing the bump on her head. She knew all the elemental and spiritual classes, but Balance was a new one. Ambrose couldn't help but chuckle at her confusion.

"Balance - or Sorcery - is that magic that ties everything into one. It's a very powerful school though a bit tricky to learn. It's the balance of all things you see, so you'll have to pay attention to your two teachers."

"Two?" While the whole 'Sorcery' thing had been cleared up and seemed exciting enough, the fact there would be two different teachers set her back off on the wrong track.

"Professor Whethersfield is our newest teacher and a Master Sorcerer, and as such we don't have a class yet built for him." Ambrose explained. "He'll be teaching you much about Sorcery, but once you're adept enough you'll be attending once-a-week classes in Krokotopia, the home of Balance magic."

Now completely caught up, Patricia was practically jumping up and down in excitement. She was going to be a wizard of possibly the strongest school of magic _ever_! She bolted toward the door, then as soon as she reached out her hand to open the door, she realized she forgot her wand, and turned back to Ambrose. The clothes and jester-looking wand were laid out neatly on the table. She quickly grabbed the wand, already fond of the design, but hesitated with he clothes. "Is it alright if I keep my skirts?" she asked. Ambrose smiled and nodded; it's not like it made a difference this early in wizardry. Smiling she thanked him and ran out the door, immediately gripping her sister in a bear-hug.

"Woah girl easy," Isabella sniggered, pulling her little sister off her. "What school d'ya get?"

"Sorcery!" Patricia was smiling from cheek to cheek. Isabella couldn't help but be surprised. Her sister was anything _but_ balance. Still, a powerful school, and if her sister was enthused, then there was nothing wrong with that.

"That's awesome sis! Now lets go see Ravenwood and choose what your secondary class will be, since I doubt you clarified that with Ambrose." Patricia turned a bright red, and rolling her eyes Isabella led the way. She was pleased, and a little startled, when Trish picked the Myth school as her secondary, but she watched her little sister walk off toward Whethersfield, she felt content. Myth and Sorcery were both powerful schools, and Patricia, however clumsy she may be, was a quick learned. Isbella let her shoulders sag in relief.

Patricia was going to be fine.

**Sorry if its a bit rushed in the end; mom wanted me off but I was close to finishing XD Hope this one-shot will quell anything I dont update! xD  
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**NOW REVISED:**

**Prologue - Added lot of background basically. I was planning on just changing a few words, then I got all these cute ideas, and thus was born a 5,000 word prologue that might just confuse readers XD**

**Chapter 1: Clean-Up - A way longer, way better chapter 1 compared to my old one. It starts off completely different, but it gets the plot and main characters in (plot's mostly at the end XD) **

**Chapter 2: Nightmares, The Quest Begins - Again it starts off differently and is much better than my old ch. 2 xD **

**Chapter 3: Stormtelling - There's a storm and a story, duh. XD Tells how Heat and her pet Lord Shadow met ^^**

**Chapter 4: Temperamental - Really just a filler chap I think; we learn a bit more about the guy we gotta beat up and how Heat's nightmares affect her.**

**Chapter 5: Storming Again - A fight scene, a bully, and another storm sums this chapter up basically XD.**

**Chapter 6: Dark Clouds - We're introduced to another character (or learn more at least). He's not really a main one, but a major...? I honestly don't know what to classify him as xD **

**Chapter 7: Letters to Cyrus: Letter 1 - It's just as the chapter title suggests. It's the shortest of the rewrites so far but a chapter ends when it ends. We also learn a little more about Rosie and Heat in a way.**

**Chapter 8: Forgiving - Basically a filler. Heat and Cori get in a slight argument, Travis asks more questions, Heat forgives/befriends him, and Rosie is just as suspicious as always. x)**

**Chapter 9: Ominous Greetings - The journey continues, only the path they head on isn't exactly welcoming...x)**

**Chapter 10: Growing up - Just as the chapter title suggests, everyone grows up. Or matures. They're still the same age, but, whatevs. xP**

**Chapter 11: Maniacal Laughter - Their first journey begins to close with a sudden turn of events, and a super-crazy psycho. :D**


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